Pokemon Quartz Version
by loafingdragon
Summary: Steven's life is peaceful and sweet, if not a little lonely. However, a chance encounter with an old friend opens his eyes to something he's been missing. He is thrown into a Pokemon adventure far greater than he could ever imagine. Steven, Connie, new and familiar faces must search to recover what was lost, but what will they be facing in the end?
1. Chapter 1

Steven followed her out to the dock, his feet thumping on the wood. "Can I come with you this time?" he asked excitedly, taking her hand in his.

Her smile faded a little. "You know you're not old enough. The city is a dangerous place. Besides," she stopped at the edge of the dock, turned, and bent so her face was level to his. Looking very serious, she leaned in.

Steven leaned forward eagerly to hear whatever important message she might whisper.

"Boo!" she exclaimed, darting her free hand forward to mess up his hair.

His surprise quickly turned to laughter. " _Lapis!_ " Pushing her hand off his head, he began to comb it back into place with his finger.

Giggling, she stood. "You can go when you're bigger... and maybe a little braver," she added teasingly.

The Lapras at the end of the dock, eager to join in the fun, flapped its flippers in the water and splashed the two humans. " _Praa!_ "

"See, she wants me to come, too!" Steven said. He threw his hands in the air excitedly.

"She can wait until you're bigger. There's still plenty of room on her back." She patted his wet hair. "Now be good and I'll bring you back a Delcat Delicious."

"Oh boy!" Bouncing on the wet dock excitedly, he began to sing the theme song of the snack. _"De-de-de-delicious! Delcatty treeeeaaat! De-de-de-delicious! For you and for meeeee..."_

Lapis waited patiently for him to finish before she knelt in front of him again. "Just like always. Stay in the house when I'm gone. I'll be back soon."

"Mhm!" He nodded zealously.

"Okay..." She stepped gingerly onto Lapras's back. "Bye, then."

He waved as she sailed off on the back of her pokemon. The excitement of a future icecream treat slowly faded and his hand drooped. As she became smaller in the distance, he wondered about the city. Every inch of their island had been explored. He could walk from one end to the other with his eyes closed and yet he had never even accompanied Lapis to the grocery store. As he thought about her leaving, he looked down into the rippling water below.

To his surprise, eyes beside his own looked back at him. He had never seen a pokemon like that before; its pink, round face smiled up at him, and frilly arms floated at its side. He slowly waved down at it. It waved back. He glanced in the direction Lapis had gone. She had completely disappeared from sight. "Uh, hey there little guy. Or girl?" He knelt down to get a closer look and it moved closer as well. It was just below the surface now. "Are you lost?" Steven extended a hand to touch it, despite Lapis having warned him in the past about strange pokemon. Clearly it was friendly if it had waved at him, right?

One of its arms quickly wrapped around his. Startled, he tried to pull back. "Woah!" It jerked him into the water. He tried to swim for the surface, but it caught and tangled his arms and legs. Saltwater burned his nose and filled his lungs. Everything went dark.

…

Coughing brought forth a spout of water. Still choking up what he had swallowed, he opened his eyes. Faces came into focus above him, and voices began to accompany them."

"... Just swimming out there in the middle of the ocean?"

"...Frillish can pull them off the beach if..."

"...That's why you never swim alone, Connie."

"Are you okay?"

"Uuuh," Steven pushed himself upright. "Yeah I-" another coughing fit emptied his lungs and left his throat itching. "I'm okay. Where... am I?"

"You were drowning!" The girl sitting next to him answered. "My dad pulled you out and now you're on a boat."

"Ooh." He nodded a little as she handed him a towel. "That makes sense."

"What were you doing out there?"

He laughed sheepishly. "I, uh, fell off the dock at my house."

"There aren't houses out here," the girl said at about the same time one of the adults, her mother, asked "Where were your parents?"

"I don't really... have parents, but Lapis- she just left." Picking at the towel guiltily, he added "I wasn't supposed to leave the house." He turned to the girl: Connie, she must be. "My house is around here." He stood up, wrapping the towel tightly around him, and pointed over the edge of the ship. "It's right over... " There was nothing but water in all directions.

"He must have drifted out a ways," Connie's father said. "Does Lapis have a phone we could call?"

"Mm-m." He shook his head.

"Do you know your address?"

Again, he shook his head.

"What does she look like? Maybe we could find her with a messenger pidgey." Connie suggested.

"I can draw her!"

"Alright. We'll see if we can find you some dry clothes and you can do that." Her mother nodded.

"My name is Connie Maheswaran, by the way."

"Yeah, I know!" He smiled. "I heard your mom say it. I'm Steven Lazuli!"

* * *

Bags weighed down her arms as she stepped carefully on the rough brick street. Held farthest from her body was an ice cream treat for Steven. It would be tucked just under the lip of lapras's shell; it was the coolest place she could keep them. A siren sounded somewhere behind her. Paws struck the ground: an arcanine. Heart pounding, she watched it zoom past her current alley. Hard on its heels, an officer followed.

 _They're not after me,_ Lapis reminded herself. Still, she had to work to keep at a walking pace. She slid under the wood rail as the brick street met the docks. Under them, just a hop over the stone floodwall, her lapras waited. She lifted her head in greeting. Once she could see her, she usually began to relax.

But not today. A small bird pokemon sat on the sea monster's back: a pidgey with a ribbon around one foot. An icy lump formed in her stomach. _They found me,_ she thought, and her blood ran cold. But as she neared, she saw that the ribbon was red, not pink. Hesitantly, she placed her bags down and held out a hand for the messenger.

* * *

A light drizzle had began, and gray clouds had blocked out the sun. It left the city dark, including Connie's house. Sitting cross legged on opposite sides of the living room, Steven and Connie lightly tossed glow sticks to one another."I caught it!" Steven laughed as she looped one around his wrist. "That's one for Steven... and one for Connie."

Connie marked the notepad. She chewed thoughtfully on her eraser. "I don't think we can win if we both get a point every time someone catches one."

"What do you mean?" He threw his hands in the air excitedly. "We're both winning!" A gentle knock at the door interrupted. "Lapis!" Bouncing to his feet, he ran answer it.

Mr. Maheswaran reached it first, and flicked the lights on. Both Steven and Connie squinted at the sudden change in lighting. "Hello," the man greeted.

"I'm... I'm here for Steven," Lapis answered. She was breathing a little harder than normal and soaking wet.

"Lapis!" Steven jubilantly squeezed past Connie's father and hugged her.

She wrapped her arms around him in return, breathing a sigh of relief. "You're safe."

"Yeah, and I made a friend. Look!" He reached over to grab Connie's hand and pull her over.

She held out her hand shyly. "Hi, Ms. Lazuli. I'm Connie. It's nice to meet you."

For Steven, the momentary shock that showed in Lapis's eyes was obvious. Nervous, she took Steven's other hand and pulled him away from her. "That's great, Steven," she murmured, "but we really need to get home."

"Wait a minute," Mr. Maheswaran urged. "The weather out there is a little rough for seafaring. Why don't you stay for dinner here? My wife and I would like to get to know you."

Lapis shot a look at Steven that said that maybe the island thing was supposed to be a secret. He frowned apologetically. "I'm sorry, we can't. I have groceries waiting."

He tugged at her dress. "Please, Lapis?"

"No, Steven."

"But Lapis-"

"I said no!"

He flinched. She hadn't raised her voice like that in a long time. He looked back at the Maheswarans and she led him away. "Wait! I have to give her her bracelet back." He slid out of her grasp and ran back to the door. "Here." He held it out to Connie.

Connie slowly reached back for it. "Is she always like that?" she whispered.

He shook his head quickly. "No. She's really nice!"

Her hand closed around the the band of light. For a second the light it cast made her look exceptionally rosy. "Thank you."

He was left staring for a moment. "Um, Connie-"

Lapis took his hand again. "Steven, we need to go," she repeated. The tone of her voice was one Steven didn't quite understand. He followed her back through the rain.

"Why did you do that?" he questioned. "They didn't even get to see how nice you are!"

"You can't see those people again, Steven," she said quietly. He could hardly hear her over the rain.

"What?" he gasped. "Why! Connie's my friend! We're best friends! We even-"

"Just stop talking about her! You don't know her at all." Her grip on his hand tightened almost painfully.

"Yes I do," he argued. _I've seen her before. I_ know _it!_ The memory just refused to solidify in his mind. "Didn't-didn't I go to a parade when I was little?"

He throat was tight. "No, Steven."

"Yes I did! I had... soap bubbles in my hair." He rubbed his head. It was starting to ache.

"That doesn't make any sense," she argued. She refused to look at him. "You've always lived with me."

"But I remember... I remember it!"

Lapis stopped and he did too. She knelt down, not even seeming to notice the dirty puddle her dress landed in. "Listen to me. You don't remember anything like that. It's not real."

"But I DO remember Connie!" he insisted, frustrated. "We used to play on the beach and have picnics by the lighthouse and-"

"Steven, stop it," she pleaded. "None of that happened. It's not real!"

He shook his head. Just closing his eyes now, he could see it: a distant memory. "It's real, Lapis." He opened his eyes and fixed her with a resolute look.

Her body drooped. She looked like the last puppy left alone in a box on the street. "I know."

"You know? But you said-"

"They're not from this life, Steven. They don't mean anything anymore."

"Wha... What do you mean? What if she remembers?" He tried to sound optimistic, "We could still be friends."

"No... you can't. Most people don't remember." She looked around anxiously. In this weather, no one was around them. "I'll explain everything, but we need to get out of the rain."

...

Lapras rested its head on a broad stone beside them and Steven ate a half melted Delcat Delicious. It wasn't much softerthan they were by the time he usually got them.

"We used to live in a different world, Lapis said quietly. "There weren't pokemon there... but there was magic." She hesitated as thunder rumbled overhead. "...we were both magical beings, and our magic came from gemstones in our bodies."

"Cool!"

She smiled weakly. "Maybe... but the gems you befriended, they weren't good people."

"Why not?" He frowned and ice cream melted down his hands.

"They started a war, trapped me in a mirror, and did many other things. You're not like them, Steven."

"I don't remember any of that..." he said quietly. "Was Connie...?"

"No. She was just a human." She stared down at her hands before her gaze returned to Steven. "But if you found her, you could find the others, or they could find you." Her fist clenched. "They can't find you, Steven. They're still evil people."

"You know them?" What was left of his treat fell as a cold lump on the stone. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want you to know. Not yet. Maybe when you were older you would understand... I took you to protect you."

"You... you _took_ me? I thought I always lived with you! Maybe they're different now! Maybe they're good!"

She looked up, eyes wide. "No, Steven, it wasn't like that! They're not like that! They haven't changed!"

"You lied to me!"

"I was only trying to protect you!"

"I don't even know who you are! Who were you? Did you take me then, too?" he demanded.

"No! Steven-"

He shook his head and covered his ears. Before Lapis could react, he darted away. The child scrambled up the floodwall and ran down the street. Ducking into another alley before Lapis could see him, he hid. _What am I doing?_ He couldn't hate Lapis. He couldn't stay away forever.

But he needed to clear his head.

He ducked behind a dumpster as she ran past, calling his name and apologizing.

* * *

A warm, wet nose pressed into her hand where it rested on the arm of her chair. "No luck, then..." She breathed. His reply was a disheartened grunt. Turning from her work, she gently ran her fingers through the tepid fur of his face. It grew hotter as they approached his mane; she stopped before she would burn herself. He let out a hot breath and she leaned her forehead against his. "Don't worry. We'll find him," she consoled. Looking into his red eyes, she murmured. "I want you to follow Pearl's group this time. Check Seesea City."

She straightened back up and the pokemon dipped its head obediantly. Turning, he stalked off. The light cast from his mane faded. She was about to return to her papers when there was a knock at the door. "Come in."

The slender form that entered was familiar. Her footsteps were quiet: graceful. "Welcome back."

"Rose," her voice said, a little too enthusiastic. "Everything is going so well. From our victory in Beach City, it's been nothing but steps forward! After Seesea-"

"I think I know you well enough to tell that isn't why you came to see me, Pearl." She stood and approached her teammate. Her hand rested on the shorter woman's shoulder. "What's wrong?"

Pearl's facade fell, and she looked away. "After Greg visits, you're always in your office..." She smiled insincerely, her nerves getting to her. "For weeks, it seems. I know it's not really that long, but I worry."

"Ohoh, Pearl," she giggled. "You don't have to worry about me." She cupped her cheek in her hand.

"But I do!" she insisted, taking Rose's hand from her cheek and holding it in her own. Their eyes met. "I know what this is about. I always have."

She fought off the sinking feeling and forced herself to speak with confidence. "What I do here doesn't interfere with our mission."

She held her hand to her chest, over her heart. "It's not the mission I'm worried about!" Looking embarrassed, she released Rose and turned to walk off her frustration. As much as Rose tried to catch her gaze, Pearl refused to look at her. "I... I'm scared that this search is going to consume you. Whenever you start to believe that you're close, you're let down harder." Her voice strained. "I don't want to see you heartbroken when..."

Rose's frown deepened. "Pearl, you can't always protect me. There are some things I have to do on my own."

"I just hope that you realize," she said, her voice just above a whisper, "that you might never find him." She looked up with gleaming eyes. Her confidence had faded, but she still looked more like she was checking on Rose's well-being instead of seeking comfort.

Rose met her gaze. "... I know that," she murmured. She looked away from Pearl, her gaze returning to her papers. "But I could never forgive myself if I stopped trying."


	2. Chapter 2

The water splashed beneath Steven's feet. Everything was so big in the city. He stopped to look around. Now the rain had softened, and a light mist hung in the air. If he could just find Connie's house, maybe they could talk things through. Maybe he could get her to remember.

But he was lost. The moisture was getting to him, and he was feeling cold. As he continued forward, a small park came into view. It looked more inviting than the uneven cobblestone. He searched for a dry place to sit on the woodchips. Finding none, he sat on the bottom step up to the slide and rested his head in his hands.

" _Dew,_ " a small voice said.

"Hello?" He looked around but saw no one. He stood up.

" _Budbud!_ " the voice repeated, sounding startled. It sounded like it was coming from behind him.

As he turned, he crouched. A shape moved beneath the slide, backing away. "H...Hey there. I'm not going to hurt you."

It stopped and watched him. Slowly, he sat down. "You're just a little guy, aren't you?" He laughed a bit, very quietly. "Me too, I guess." He wrapped his arms around himself, shivering. "Are you lost?"

" _Buu..._ "

"Yeah," he mumbled. "Me too." Steven glanced down at his hands. The rain had washed away any of the melted ice cream he had been eating. "... I don't know what to do."

" _Dee?_ " It took a few steps closer, but it stayed under the cover of the slide. He could see that it was green now.

"It's just... for my whole life, I thought I knew someone." He ran his hands through his hair. "And maybe I didn't?" For a long while he was quiet. He listened to water dripping. "I know she loves me, and she's my best friend in the world. One of my only friends... But maybe that would be different if she never took me. Maybe things would be worse, though..." Looking up, he was surprised to see the pokemon so close. It looked like a green bud with stumpy legs and small black eyes. It waddled closer and, keeping a careful eye on him, clumsily climbed into his lap.

He smiled. "Oh, I bet you're feeling cold, aren't you?" Slowly, as not to startle, he placed a hand on it. It settled in as he pet it. "And lonely, too. Don't worry. I've got you."

For a while, the two sat in silence, both just trying to stay warm. It felt like a very long time. Steven started to drift off, despite the rain. After a while, the drizzle abruptly stopped. He felt warmth on his back. It was if the clouds were split open and evaporated in an instant. Bright sunlight shined down on them, even from where it sat low in the sky. The pokemon in his lap looked up and let out a shrill cry of delight. Steven shielded his eyes, smiling as the pokemon opened its buds, revealing two infant sets of flower petals; one was a pale blue, the other a dusty pink.

"Look," Steven breathed. Tiny pink petals were fluttering through the air. They were too dark to be from the bud pokemon, and they seemed to be falling from high in the sky. "Pretty... So-aah... aaah-CHOO!"

The pokemon squeaked in surprise and Steven held his breath to avoid another sneeze. "Sorry." The petals, wherever they were coming from, were making his eyes water and his throat itch. He gently picked up the bud pokemon and set it on the ground. He began to stand.

" _Dew!_ " It protested.

"Okay." He stooped to pick it up again. It wasn't heavy. His nose ran as he stifled another sneeze. What was most important, though, was that the sun was making the water shimmer. He could follow that sheen back to the shore and decide what to do from there.

* * *

"Steven!" Lapis called. It was not raining so hard now, but she was already soaked. At first she had been trying to stay quiet and inconspicuous, afraid that she might be discovered, but now her worry was getting the best of her. _This city is too big. If he's lost, I might never find him!_ Her heart was pounding with worry. _What might the police do if they find him? What if_ she _was here, somewhere?_ She stopped at the mouth of and alley, breathing hard. Leaning her head on the bricks, she hit them with her palm. _How could I be so stupid!_

Throat tight, she turned to move on. Despite the rain, she was beginning to feel hot. The sensation was familiar. A new kind of fear flooding her veins, she looked around. The alleys on either side of her were empty. She caught sight of her shadow. Despite the gloom, it danced below her and against the wall, flickering like it was being held to a flame. Taking a shaky breath, she looked up.

His red eyes glowed brighter than his flaming mane. The rain turned to steam around it. As he stared down at her, she knew that he was bigger than the last time she had seen him. Newly evolved then, he had been lanky, awkwardly thin as he grew. Now, when he stood she had not even realize that he was crouching before.

Clamping her jaws shut so Steven, if he was even close, could not hear her scream, she turned and ran. _I have to lead him away. Please, please, don't find him! s_ he silently begged.

Water splashed behind her as the beast landed in the alley. She knew he would catch her. Nothing would save her this time. Still, she kept running. She ran for so long, it felt like she was being played with. Every time she looked back, those red eyes were right behind her.

Finally, there was a wall in front of her. A wrong turn. She was trapped. She turned to face him, pressing her back to the wall. The clouds parted and dissolved, causing both her and the pursuing pokemon to look up. The sun was not high enough to shed light on them in this alley, but his mane blazed brighter all the same. He stepped closer and swiped a paw at her. It swept her feet out from under her. Her hands had hardly caught her fall when he wrapped his mouth around her abdomen. It felt uncomfortably hot. His teeth pressed against her skin.

She struggled to get free, but he held her tighter until his fangs threatened to pierce her skin and she could barely inhale. Panic and lack of air made her vision swim. Lion turned and, with her in his jaws, galloped through the petal strewn city. _At least it's only me,_ Lapis thought. _As long as he has me, Steven is still out there._

* * *

Being closer to the water proved to be unhelpful. Though he knew he had come this way, this was still his first time in the city. He remembered things like seeing a pelipper on one boat, and that the rain was pooling in the open sail of another. That had changed now. He was managing to put the pieces together, though. He felt like he was getting somewhere.

At least, he thought he was. Things were beginning to look strange again, so he turned back. _Maybe I should be looking under the docks for Lapras,_ he thought. With a stuffy sniffle, he turned toward the docks.

"Steven? What are you doing?"

"Connie?" He spun around. A sneeze escaped him before he caught sight of her at the open window of her house. He ran over.

"Why are you out there?" she asked.

"I... I don't know," he sniffed. "I just- I learned something really upsetting and I thought... maybe we could talk."

"Where did you get that budew? I thought you only had Lapras."

"I found him," Steven answered. "But that's not what this is about. Do you... remember me?"

Connie tilted her head. "Uh, yeah. You were just here today."

"No, I mean... Before that. There was a parade." He sneezed again.

"...I don't know what you're talking about, Steven." She leaned on the windowsill thoughtfully. "I used to go to the circus when I was little, but then we stopped going."

He shook his head. "That's not it. I was in it. I was supposed to be a brush or something."

"Why?"

"I don't know, but I know I met you there. You dropped your bracelet. I tried really hard to give it back to you."

"Hm..." He could tell that she was sincerely trying to remember. "I'm really sorry, but I don't remember any of that."

He drooped. "But it happened. It really did."

"It's weird but I think that... maybe I believe you. I mean, you don't sound like you're lying."

"I'm not. I wouldn't."

"And you did seem kind of familiar. I was going to say something earlier, but that sounds kind of crazy, doesn't it?"

"Not at all!" He grinned. "Lapis says you and me were friends in a past life."

For a moment, Connie just stared. "...That's kind of like this one book I read," she murmured.

"Cool! ...But she told me a lot of other stuff, too. I didn't know who else to talk to. You're... my only other friend."

She glanced back into her house. "My parents both got called into work. Apparently there was something big going on. We could maybe go for a walk and talk about it?"

"I-ah... aah-CHOO!" He snuffled. "I would like that."

…

"...But you have no idea who your mom or dad is?"

He shook his head. "I was too little to remember. All I-" He stifled a sneeze. "All I know about them is that Lapis said they were really bad people."

"Well... maybe they're not as bad as she thought. You should get to meet them."

"That's what I thought!" Steven threw one hand in the air, the other holding onto budew. "But I don't know how and now... Lapis might really get in trouble." He frowned.

"I... I don't mean to interrupt, but do you know where all these petals are coming from?" Connie took off her glasses and picked at the aforementioned flora on them. "They keep sticking to my glasses."

"I thought-" he sniffled. "I thought this was normal in the city." The pokemon in his arms made a puzzled peep.

She shook her head. "I don't know anything about this."

"Maybe it's the circus. You said you used to go?"

"It _is_ in town..." she mused, pushing them back over her eyes thoughtfully. "I know how to get there. We could check it out."

He nodded and the two picked up their pace to a light jog. Steven ducked under a line of yellow ribbon in their way.

"Steven, wait."

"What's wrong?" He looked back and saw her standing behind the yellow ribbon.

"We're not supposed to..." She looked back behind her. "If it's taped off, we shouldn't go this way. It could be dangerous."

"Whaaa? Really?"

She nodded, a serious look on her face.

"Okay," he conceded. "But we can go another way, right?"

"Yeah, we could try-"

"What do you kids think you're doing!?" A voice exclaimed, from down the road whence they had come. An officer was running toward them.

The budew startled and jumped from his arms. "Oh no, come back little guy!" Steven called With surprising speed, it scooted past the yellow tape and down the road. He hurried after it.

"Steven!" After a quick glance back, Connie followed after him. "If my parents find out about this, they're going to be so mad," she whispered.

"I'm sorry, Connie. I told him I'd take care of him." By now, the two were sprinting to catch up with budew; it had had a headstart.

"Stop right there!" The officer was chasing after them, a tablet in her hand. The petals were moving faster here: not just falling from, but whipping through the air. The two children were low enough to avoid the worst of it. The officer was not.

"There!" Steven scooped up the budew and held it firmly as it calmed down. "There, everything's okay." A gust blew past them, and the petals moved faster than ever. So fast, even, that they hurt when they hit bare skin. He bent to shield his pokemon and pinched his eyes shut. "Connie, we need to get inside." Feeling her hand in his, he followed her pull. They took shelter in the doorway of an apartment building. "What's going on?"

"I think those petals must be coming from a pokemon," she answered. "Maybe if we can get to a window upstairs, we can see."

"Mm." He nodded. They knocked on the door.

A woman cracked it open as far as the chain would allow. It took her a moment to look down and see them. "What are you kids doing outside?! Don't you know what's going on." She glanced left and right before opening the door. "Hurry inside."

"Thank you so much, Ms..."

"Just call me Barbara."

"Do you know what's going on out there?" Connie asked.

"I don't know for sure, but don't you worry about that. Listen, kids, I need to keep an eye out for anyone else out there. You should call your parents and let them know you're somewhere safe."

Connie and Steven exchanged a look.

"My... mine don't have a phone," Steven said. He covered his mouth as another sneeze shook him.

"Mine aren't home."

Barbara frowned. "Okay, well. My daughter's up in room 304. Just knock. She'll take care of you."

"Thank you!" the children responded, heading for the stairs.

As they headed up, Steven frowned. "Do you think Lapis is okay out there?"

"Well... she didn't cross the yellow tape, I bet." Connie forced a smile. "She's probably okay."

"...Yeah. You're right. She's really smart. She'll know what to do!"

…

The news had been covering the event, but no one had gotten a clear view of the pokemon responsible. Connie and Steven stared out the window until the rain of petals grew too thick and Sadie, Barbara's daughter, urged them to stay away from the glass. She drew the blinds. "Do you want something to drink?"

Steven sniffled. "Water, please."

"Gosh, are the petals bugging you that bad even in here?"

He snorted as he inhaled, trying to clear his nose. "I dunno."

"It's the budew," Connie said. "When it blooms like that, it's letting out pollen."

He looked to the pokemon where it was sitting on the couch; its baby buds were still outstretched. "Aww, little buddy." A sneeze caught him by surprise. Sadie handed him a tissue. "I'll be okay, guys. Can't stay mad at yooouu." It cooed as he gave it a pat.

"I have some allergy pills. Let me grab you some." She walked into the little kitchen and retrieved some water and a small pill. He followed her to the kitchen and swallowed the pill with water.

"Steven, look!" Connie called.

Rushing back to the other room, he saw the source of her excitement. On the television, though petals occasionally flew through and interrupted, was a slender woman with short ginger hair and and a long nose. She wore a blue outfit with a pink symbol on the chest and two pokemon were at her side, constantly whipping up more petals into the storm. "What are those?"

"That's a white florges," Connie said, pointing to the screen. "And that pink one is cherrim."

"You know a lot about pokemon," Sadie said.

"Yeah... I read a lot," she replied sheepishly.

"Why is she doing that?" Steven asked quietly.

"I never really got involved in the politics of those sort of groups," Sadie scratched her neck. "I think they're some kind of... crazy environmentalists."

The video went on, and the only audio available for several minutes was that of the reporter, describing in detail what they could see on the screen. Then the camera was set shaking wildly. The image blurred as it moved at great speed. "What's going on?" Steven demanded at the tv.

"They can't hear you," Connie informed him. His cheeks heated up.

The camera was placed in a hand, and the woman turned it to her own face. "You see? This is the power of pokemon connected to nature as they should be. They are not forced to preform in a circus, or trapped in daycare centers. Do you understand the- augh!" She covered her mouth with her free hand and took a step back. The camera lowered to her side, but the lens faced forward, upside-down; a pokemon with a mane of fire approached. In its jaws-

"Lapis!" Steven gasped.

At the same time on the camera, the woman's voice was full of surprise and disdain. "Lapis Lazuli."

Lapis fell from the pokemon's mouth. As Connie and Steven watched on in shocked silence, she pushed herself up onto her hands and knees. The screen went black. The feed was cut.


	3. Chapter 3

A thick blanket of petals layered the ground. They had all fallen by the time Sadie had said it was safe to go outside. "Thank you, Sadie! Thank you, Barbara!" The kids called as they went to head out.

"Wait," Sadie said. Ducking behind the service desk, she pulled out an old cellphone. "It's just an old prepaid, but it's got a few minutes still on it. You can call us if you get in trouble."

Connie accepted the device. "Thank you, Sadie." She and Steven headed for the center of town with his budew in hand.

"Hey, it's you!"

Steven held his pokemon tighter and they both looked back.

"You... you stopped." The officer from before put on a puzzled face as she caught up to them. "Good." She held up her tablet. "Watan, begin report on two minors. Trespassing. Avoiding arrest. Also, open 2 G-8 forms..." She continued speaking to the electronic.

"I thought you said we couldn't talk to the tv," Steven whispered.

"That's not a tv, Steven... but you're still not supposed to talk to it like that."

"Children," the officer interrupted, "What are your names?"

"I'm Steven, and this is Connie," Steven began. "but we can't stay to talk. I'm sorry. Someone really important to me got taken by that flower woman and we-"

"You _know_ who she took?!" She began talking to the pad again. "Inform the squad that I have a key witness. This is top priority. What do you _mean_ we have bigger problems? This could be the key to finding out what the Crystals want! ...Ugh fine!" She muttered something to herself. "You two, hold still." She held up the device and a bright flash momentarily blinded the children.

"My eyes!" Steven exclaimed.

"Stay right here. Once we're done rounding up the escaped pokemon, I'll be back to ask you some questions." With a quick turn, she ran off.

Steven, still blinking the flash from his eyes, exchanged a look with Connie. Before they could face the moral dilemma to move or not move, the decision was made for them. A loud screech of a pokemon in distress broke through the quiet. The two turned just in time to see it hurtling blindly toward them. Shoving Connie out of the way only narrowly allowed them to avoid one of its razor-sharp scythes. A large, green, winged insect with a glittering carapace and its eyes tightly shut let out another cry and stumbled away from them, for a moment leaning on the wall. It was easily taller than either of them, but it hunched and its wings flapped helplessly. It rubbed at its eyes.

"It's eyes," Steven pointed out.

It lifted its head at his voice and, with an infuriated cry, slashed its blades in their direction. They hurried out of the way.

"I thought it was shiny, but it looks like it's covered in glitter instead," Conie whispered. "It must have gotten in its eyes."

"Oh no!" Steven responded, his voice hushed. "We have to help it."

"But how? There's nothing we can use to wash out it out."

The scyther was listening, and it lunged in their direction again, this time so fast that neither Steven nor Connie could react. Budew jumped out of Steven's arms and blocked the strike. As it was hit, it released a cloud of yellow spores.

"Little Bud!" Steven gasped as the pokemon was thrown aside.

It hustled back onto its feet and faced the bug type. " _Dew!_ "

"It looks like it's ready to battle, Steven,"

"But I don't want to battle! We just need water. We can help it!"

The scyther was struggling to move: paralyzed by the baby pokemon's stun spores. Budew bounced forward and scaled the larger pokemon. Standing on its shoulder, it splashed a small amount of water from its bud onto the other pokemon's face.

"It's using water sport, Steven. Budew _is_ helping!" Connie said excitedly.

The scyther overcame the paralysis and shook the budew off. Steven caught his pokemon before it hit the ground.

Scyther shook its head, the water dripping on its face. Tentatively, it opened its eyes. After blinking several time, it went to lift its arm to them.

"No!" Connie commanded.

It paused and fixed her with a perplexed look.

She exchanged a look with Steven and approached. At first it backed away, but it seemed to decide that it could take a chance with someone smaller than it was. It reached out with the flat side of its arm. Taking it carefully, she began guiding it. "Let's find a pokemon center."

"What's that?" Steven asked, following after her.

"It's like a hospital for pokemon. They'll make sure that this scyther and your budew are healthy."

"I've never been to a hospital before... and his name is Little Bud. It fits." He gently squeezed the little pokemon in his arms. "After that we can find Lapis."

* * *

The pokemon center was crowded. In the aftermath of the beautiful but dangerous petal blizzard, many were injured. Protecting their fainted pokemon from further harm, they had rushed to the centers all around the city. Though they were large buildings meant to handle a crowd, this was more than anyone would have expected. Nurses and doctors hustle between pokemon and even a few unlucky humans.

As Connie looked around, she noticed that many of the pokemon were oddly colored, and many wore colorful and ridiculous clothing. The scyther covered in glitter was not even close to the strangest thing she saw: a raichu with two tails, an arbok covered in a thick layer of bright paint, a geodude that looked like it had been carved into a statue... the list went on. Most of the oddities were not even accompanied by trainers. She led Steven to the counter and filled out a quick sheet asking about the nature of the injuries their pokemon had.

Steven tapped her shoulder. When she turned, she say him pointing to a bathroom. "Good idea. Sometimes pokemon centers have showers."

"Oh... that's _exactly_ what I meant." He nodded, a funny smile on his face.

They started through the crowd toward the room. She had to tug the scyther forward. Looking back, she saw that he had his eyes pinched shut. There was a buzz as he furiously flapped his wings. Connie gasped as he lifted off the ground. She had never seen a scyther fly before. He clumsily clipped the ceiling, and she had to grab his other arm so he would not flail and hurt someone else. Finally they pushed through the bathroom doors. Though there was a line for the toilets, a couple showers were unoccupied. She pulled down the shower head and reached for the knob.

"Make sure its not too cold," Steven said. "No one like being sprayed with ice water."

"Right." She gave a resolute nod and carefully adjusted the temperature. Scyther stood obediently in the stall. He seemed to know what he was doing, she noted. She started at his arm, hoping that he would not be alarmed. He stretched out as she continued rinsing off all of the glitter; the action made it easier. He even dipped his head down so she could reach the shower head over it. He flapped his wings quickly once she was done, whipping most of the water off. "That was easy..." She looked back and saw that Steven was missing. "Steven?" Guiding scyther along with her, she began looking before she remembered that he had been needed to use the bathroom. With a sigh, she waited patiently.

Scyther still refused to open his eyes. Whenever she moved, he turned his head to follow her, though. _Maybe he's hurt more than I thought._ Seeing him and the state of the other circus pokemon made her think seriously as to why her parents had stopped taking her.

" _Budew!_ " She glanced down to see Little Bud, and looking up again, she saw that Steven was back.

"Scyther looks a lot better now," he said cheerfully.

"Yeah, but.." Quietly, she added "I think his eyes might be really hurt."

"Oh no!"

"Yeah."

"Did the doctor look at him yet?"

They left the bathroom together, Connie guiding scyther by both arms. "Not yet. They're going to look at Little Bud, too. He took a pretty bad hit."

"He's doing okay. Isn't that right, buddy?"

" _Budbud!_ "

"But a checkup won't hurt."

He nodded. "You're the pokemon expert."

"Me? No... I just read a lot of books," she said sheepishly.

"Budew and Scyther?" a voice called from the counter. They hurried to follow a nurse to a corner out of the way; the examination rooms were taken. Connie managed to keep scyther on the ground this time, to the relief of many of the other patients.

"Did a lot of circus pokemon get hurt?" Steven asked, looking around.

"Yes. The attack targeted that place." She was frowning deeply. "It wasn't great place for pokemon, but is it any better that these pokemon are homeless now? The circus will never come back from this. Now they're just giving their pokemon away." She had examined Little Bud, and simply sprayed the pokemon with a potion before moving onto scyther. The bug type let out a defensive cry and tried to pull away as she finished checking his body and moved to his face. "Ssh. Don't worry. I won't hurt you." She took a small bell from her pocket and rang it. Scyther snatched the item so quickly, the children almost missed it. Holding the bell between the tips of his blades, he jingled it as she looked around his closed eyes. "I'm going to have to look in your eyes now. Will you let me do that?"

The pokemon slowly opened one eye. "Oh my... There is a lot of damage here. Other eye?" Scyther closed one and opened the other. "...Not much better," she murmured. "What happened to this pokemon?"

"He was covered in glitter when we found him," Connie explained. "We had to rinse it out of his eyes."

"Another circus pokemon, then... His eyes are going to need to be protected to heal, if they heal at all. You can buy dark shades for about 50 pokedollars."

"That much?!" Steven gasped.

"I think I have enough, Steven." Connie said. She reached into the pocket of her dress and dug out a few bills. "Yeah I have... nine hundred and... forty seven."

"Is that a lot?"

"Mm... not really." She looked up to the nurse. "So the circus won't take scyther back?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Then I guess I have to keep it," Steven said.

"No, maybe... maybe I can," Connie murmured. "My parents wouldn't let me keep him at home... but I..." she trailed off. "Maybe I can keep him anyway."

"Really?"

She nodded, pulling the phone from her pocket. The nurse had moved onto other patients, so Connie looked down at it as she, Steven, Budew, and Scyther moved toward the exit. "I think they'll be home by now."

Outside, as they walked to the store next door, she dialed. "... Mom. I know. I'm sorry but I... I decided to start my pokemon journey..." She shifted from foot to foot and handed Steven some bills to pay for the glasses. "Scyther... And Steven. He has a Budew. Yes, It's really important to us... I'm ten now, and that's when most people start." Her voice faltered. "I can do it."

Steven returned with the dark glasses. He tried to place them on the scyther's head, but the pokemon ignored him, instead listening to Connie on the phone. "Is everything ok?"

Clicking the phone shut, she nodded. "Yeah. I'm coming with you."

He beamed. "Yes!"

She smiled nervously. "Here, I'll take the glasses." Scyther dipped his head so she could put them on. "What do you think of the name Archimicarus?"

"That's a really cool name," he agreed. Scyther also seemed pleased with the title. "How'd you come up with that?"

"I don't know," she said. "I like the way it sounds." The scyther had opened his eyes as she held the glasses on, but she could not figure out how to get them to stay on his face. Archimicarus fixed her with a quizzical look while she played around with them. "Can you maybe look for something to hold these up?"

"Mm." Steven nodded and went back inside to search the aisles.

As she worked on fixing the glasses, she heard a soft chiming. Glancing down, she saw the bell still between in her scyther's blades. "Oh no! That belongs to the nurse, doesn't it?"

Archimicarus nodded, and quickly closed his eyes as the glasses fell off his head.

Connie bent to pick them up and saw that Little Bud was standing between them, also staring up at the bell. "You have to give it back."

" _Scy!_ " her pokemon objected.

"Yes!" She reached over to take it and he lifted it up out of her reach. The movement was too fast, though, and the bell was flung. Before he could give chase, she grabbed his arm. He stood there, listening in the general direction the bell had landed. Little Bud pipped in delight and ran after the item. "Wait!" Connie called. There were a lot of people and pokemon outside the store, and she did not want the budew to get lost. The bell hadn't gone too far, though; Little Bud avoided the crowd. _Maybe she won't miss the bell if they were giving them out like that,_ she thought hopefully.

"I found something," Steven said. He had returned with a small band of fabric: a stray shoelace, perhaps.

"Thanks, Steven." She responded, taking it and tying the glasses in place. With closed eyes, Archimicarus shook his head a few times to test how secure they were. Finally, he seemed satisfied enough to open his eyes.

"I asked a few people which way the flower woman went. They said she left over the arch to Route Fifteen and that she's part of Team Crystal. Do you know where Route Fifteen is?"

"Yeah, I think so. Let's get a town map at the gate so we can find out where to go next."

"Do you have any stuff at home? I don't know how long we'll be gone."

"Uh, no... but we want to go as soon as possible, don't we?"

"Right! Come one, Archimicarus. Come on, Little Bud... Little Bud? Ah!" She turned to look in the direction Steven was looking. He rushed past her, and she soon saw why. A stout, little, green, hooven pokemon was nipping at his budew, who had curled up to protect itself. Steven pushed its face away from Little Bud. "No biting!" He scooped Little Bud up and the other pokemon hastily bounced away.

"Come on, Steven!" She was already heading for the gate, her excitement building for her upcoming journey. Archimicarus paced her with ease, but Steven had to hustle to catch up. Once they were all moving, they weaved through the streets together, each experiencing a new kind of freedom.

* * *

The air was so sweet after the Swordwoman's actions. Following a trail was difficult, but the Thief had smelled strongly of his littermate. After he brought her back, he returned to where he had caught her. He followed her trail through the petals. It crisscrossed and zigzagged. It ran through alley after alley and road after road. It smelled of fear and tears.

That didn't matter. When had she left Steven? He had to be close. He always was. He had been with her for so long, sometimes Lion forgot how he smelled on his own. It had been a long time since he had followed a real trail, too.

Below the wooden shore he found the Sea Serpent. As always, she was unnerved by his presence. She knew that he had found the Thief, and she was angry. From her gullet she summoned saltwater to spit at him. He leapt out of the way and bristled his flaming mane. Letting a fearsome roar should be enough to scare her away.

She was too stubborn, too furious. She reared up and summoned the tides. A wave rose up and washed over him, steaming as it touched his flames.

Louder, then. He rose is voice. It reverberated in his throat. This time it would hurt. Leaping out of the way of another jet of water, he let out the roar. In the shallow water, she couldn't move fast enough to avoid the attack. It did not move her great mass, but he could see that it pained her. Again. Before she could retaliate. He could deafen her.

She shot a beam from her mouth. He tried to duck and roll out of the way, but she had misled him. It was aimed at his feet, not his head. His extremities were instantly chilled, and he could hardly move his toes. Struggling to keep his footing, he spat out a sustained flame; it engulfed her as she approached, and the heat slowly thawed his frozen paws. The longer he breathed fire over her, the hotter it became. Finally, when he felt limber again, he ceased his attack.

The Sea Serpent swayed, trying to stay strong. Finally, she succumbed to her burns and collapsed onto the stones.

He lowered his head to sniff at her before examining the beach. Hopefully their battle hadn't washed away any evidence. On the pebbles, the water had nearly lapped away a sugary glob. Sweet milk and saliva. Steven's. He was here.

He fanned out until he caught Steven's scent again. Hopping over a small wall of stones, he began following.


	4. Chapter 4

"Finally!" Steven exclaimed as the gate came into view. With everything covered in flower petals, they had gotten turned around a few times. It was getting dark. Every time they paused to ask for directions or Steven put Little Bud down to rest his arms, a certain pokemon- Connie had said it was a skiddo- would appear and try to take a bite out of him.

"Is it still following us?" Connie asked, looking back.

"I don't think so."

"But that's what you said last time," she said as she walked through the arch. There was a line of people on their way out, but they were moving quickly. As the kids walked by the gatekeeper they were asked to step aside. "Is something wrong?" she peeped.

"Those pokemon are yours?"

"Yeah," Steven answered enthusiastically.

"Do you have any gym badges?"

Connie and Steven exchanged a look before she answered. "... No. Is that a problem?"

"I'm sorry, you two. I can't let you leave the city unless you have an adult with you or at least one of you has a gym badge.

"But we're trying to save someone!" Steven said desperately.

"I'm sorry. It's for your own safety."

They both frowned. "Can we at least have a town map so we can find the gym here?" Connie finally asked. He nodded and handed her a basic paper map. They made their way outside as she examined it. "It looks like the gym is by Mayor Dewey's office."

"Who's that?"

"He's like the city manager." She paused and looked up from the map. "You know what a pokemon gym is right?"

"Mm." He nodded. "I used to read comic books about the champion. I bet I can get a badge."

"Cool. I'm sure you can, too. According to the guide," she looked at the legend on the map. "It's a water gym! That means you have an advantage."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Grass types are super effective against water types."

"This will be easy, then! Right, Little Bud?"

The budew let out a cry and scampered between his legs, pursued by the skiddo.

"Hey!" This time, Steven grabbed it by the horns instead of just chasing it away. "I said no biting!" It tried to back up, its hooves slipping on the petals. Steven held on tight, and it pulled him along. Seeing that he was refusing to let go, it started pushing him instead. "Woah!" He struggle to stay on his feet and hold his ground. "It's really strong!"

"Hold on, Steven!" Connie said. Little Bud ran behind her when it saw that Steven wasn't driving the skiddo away. "Scyther, try a..." she paused to remember what moved she had seen it using. "Quick attack!"

It sped forward, moving so fast that it was just a green blur, and rammed into the goat pokemon. Skiddo was knocked onto its side and Steven fell down with it. Jumping back up, he called "Little Bud, use your yellow dust!"

Little Bud hopped forward and dusted the skiddo with stun spores. Skiddo shook off the spores as if they were nothing. It climbed onto its feet. Looking at the group around it warily, it made a quiet bleat and took a step back.

Connie tried to step closer, but Archimicarus put out an arm to stop her. "Steven, I read somewhere that skiddo can sense how people feel with their horns. You could try grabbing them again."

"I don't know, Connie. That didn't work so well last time," he huffed. He was still pretty close to it. It had backed against a wall.

"Try to really talk to it but with your mind," she suggested. "Say that eating Little Bud is not acceptable... and maybe try to get it to come with us?"

"That sounds really complicated," but he was stepping forward slowly, his hands up. "But I'll try." Skiddo pulled back the first time he reached for them, tossing its head nervously. "No, no... It's fine. I'm friendly." He put his hands on them and held on. The skiddo was still. "Uh..." He closed his eyes and started thinking about Little Bud. He thought about the worst thing he had ever eaten: when he had put a sea sponge in his mouth. Lapis had to pull it out and he almost choked. He tried to get past that memory quickly, before he felt sad. Then he thought about Connie and how she was his friend. The pokemon was just standing there when he opened his eyes. "Did... did it work?" Letting go, he took a few steps back. The skiddo followed him. "You like me now?" It sniffed at his hand.

"You did it, Steven!" Connie said excitedly.

He patted it on the head. "I did! Are you my pokemon now?"

" _Ski!_ "

"I'll take that for a yes." He beamed at Connie. Little Bud came to his side, and he scooped him up. "Let's go find that gym!"

"Actually, Steven..." She pointed at the skiddo, who had began chewing on Steven's shirt.

"...Okay. Food first, then we go to the gym."

…

"I hope that the gym is still open." Connie murmured. By the time they had gotten food, stopped at the pokemon center again, and reached the gym, it was completely dark. Little Bud was asleep in Steven's arms, and they were all dragging their feet. To their relief, the gym's lights were on. He pushed the double doors open, and blinked the brightness from his eyes. Connie, Archimicarus, and the Skiddo, who he had decided to name Munchy, followed more slowly.

"Hello!" he called. "I need to challenge the gym leader!" His voice echoed in the mostly empty building. A long pool made up the battlefield, with several floating platforms.

"Maybe they're out looking for the Crystal people," Connie suggested, stifling a yawn.

"No!" Steven exclaimed. "We need to get the badge so we can find Lapis!" He ran around one edge of the pool; on the right side there was a white door with a glass window. Knocking on it, he called "Hey! I want to challenge the gym leader!"

"Steven, I don't think... Wait a second." He stepped back as she came over to the door and stood on her toes to get a better peek through the window. "Are you hiding in there?"

"Of course not!" A man rose to his feet where he was standing just behind the door. "I was merely certifying that this surface is hygienic. After all, the hygiene and safety of the city is my main priority." He pushed the door open. "You two say you want to battle the gym leader here? Well you're talking to him. Gym leader Dewey, at your service." He held out a hand and put on a winning smile.

"Wait... aren't you the mayor?" She asked, taking his hand. "Mayor Dewey? I thought you would be out there." She glanced outside, where the city was still covered with fallen petals.

Steven looked up at the man. He had never seen the mayor of Seesea City, but he guessed that Connie was right. Dewey clammed up at the mention. "Now kids, no matter what _small_ problem happens out there, I still have responsibilities right here, in this gym."

"Will you battle me?" Steven asked hopefully.

"I sure can. What would you say about two pokemon each?" He made his way to one side of the pool and Steven went to the other. Connie sat down at the edge to watch with Archimicarus.

"That's fine. Little Bud," he said quietly to rouse the sleeping pokemon, "It's time to fight."

Little Bud gave a little wiggle and hopped out of his arms. " _Dew!_ " Despite being awake and ready to fight, he did not open his bud.

"Budew, huh?" Dewey pulled a pokeball from his coat and tossed it. The beam of light inside at first startled Steven; he had only seen pictures of pokemon being released from their pokeballs. The pokemon that materialized was familiar, though. He had seen wingulls flying out over the ocean before.

"Okay, let's see..." Steven thought carefully about the moves that he and Connie had talked about for their pokemon. He wasn't one hundred percent sure that Little Bud or Munchy knew all the ones they had discussed, but he had to try. He started out with something he knew. "Little Bud, use stun spore!"

Making a mighty leap for such a little pokemon, Little Bud landed on one of the floating platforms. It opened its bud just enough to blow forth a wave of yellow spores at the wingull.

"Use mist, Wingull!"

The pokemon flapped its wings hard, blowing away the spores before they could land and whipping a mist out of the surface of the water. It obscured Steven's view of them both.

"Don't worry!" he said, speaking to his pokemon in the cloud. "Just- just try another attack!" He saw a faint light in the cloud, and the silhouette of wingull. The light was pulled from the bird pokemon and floated back to where he had seen Little Bud: an absorb attack. "Good job!"

"Water gun!" the gym leader called.

"Watch out!" Steven gasped. The water parted the mist and his pokemon took a direct hit from the attack. The budew was knocked on its face. He breathed a sigh of relief that he did not fall into the water. Getting on his feet again, he started to grow. All at once, the budew was nearly twice the size. Without Steven even giving an order, Little Bud had used growth. "Absorb again, Bud!"

"Wing attack!" The light being pulled from wingull hardly seemed to bother it as it dive-bombed Little Bud. Its wing struck him, throwing him across the pool. He bounced on the water once before landing at Steven's feet and shrinking back down to his normal size.

"Ah!" Steven quickly knelt down to pick up his fainted pokemon. "Oh no," he murmured, cradling him. "Are you okay?"

Little Bud made a very soft peep and smiled up at him.

"Do you want to use your next pokemon?" Dewey asked politely.

"Y... yeah," Steven answered nervously. "Connie, can you watch Little Bud, please?"

She came over and took the Budew from his arms. "Don't worry, Steven. He'll be okay. Just try to focus on the battle."

"Mm." He nodded and called Munchy to his side. _For Lapis,_ he thought. "Alright, Let's go! Try a vine whip!"

Two vines rose from the skiddo's back and stretched toward the wingull as it flew. They crisscrossed in an attempt to follow its movement in the air, but it was too fast.

"Another wing attack!"

Munchy jumped from the edge of the pool onto a floating platform to avoid the attack. He reached forth with his vines again. Still, the wingull dipped and dived to avoid them.

"Try razor leaf!" His pokemon looked back at him helplessly. Steven realized that he must not know the attack. "N-never mind."

"Supersonic, Wingull!" The skiddo had been distracted by Steven and was easily hit with the confusing sound wave. When it looked back up and tried to follow wingull's movement, it stumbled dangerously near the edge.

"Watch out!"

"Water gun!" The attack pushed Munchy back toward the center of the floating platform.

Steven breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, you just need to calm down. Wait a minute and- No!" The skiddo attempted to launch itself at wingull, but he failed to even remotely get close. He flopped into the pool. His hooves churned at the water, but he was going nowhere but down. A hand on either side of his own face, Steven let out a cry. Without even so much as kicking off his flip-flops, he jumped in after him. He heard both Connie and Dewey say something, but he hastily swam over to Munchy. Grabbing him with one arm, he hauled the struggling pokemon to the edge of the pool.

Once his feet were solidly on the ground, Munchy snorted out a noseful of water and shook out his leafy coat. With Connie's help, Steven climbed out after him.

Dewey jogged over, careful not to slip on the wet floor. "Are you okay?"

Steven looked at the faces of the people around him, trying not to seem as upset as he was. "...Yeah."

"Well," the gym leader said. From his regretful tone, Steven could already guess what he was going to say next. "I can see that you love your pokemon just like I love the residents of Seesea City. However, I must say as a gym leader that I cannot give you the Seashell Badge."

"But if we don't get this badge we can't go save Lapis," he mumbled, hugging Munchy to him. Tears welled up in his eyes and he rubbed them away.

"I'll do it."

He looked up to Connie. Her eyes were on Archimicarus. "We can do it." The scyther nodded, a look of determination on his face. "Here, Steven."

Steven stood to take Little Bud from her. He wiped his eyes again. "Thanks, Connie."

Dewey looked at the wingull perched on his arm. "Is that your only pokemon, young Lady?"

She nodded. "Is that okay?"

"Of course. If I'm going to give you the seashell badge, you'll still have to beat two of mine, though."

"We can do it," she repeated.

Steven took her place sitting at the side as she and her pokemon made their way to the end of the pool. "Go Connie! Go Archimicarus!" he called.

"Okay, let's start with... quick attack!" The scyther lunged forward with blinding speed.

"Woah, there!" Dewey gasped. His wingull narrowly avoided the attack. "Mist! And wing attack!"

It stirred water into the air again, leaving Archimicarus looking around the fog. From the cloud it flew at him, nearly knocking him over with its outstretched wings. He swung his arms in frustration. "Don't worry," Connie said. "Just listen for its wings flapping. Ready? Pursuit!"

He jumped straight up, flapping his wings just a little bit for extra lift. Ensnaring the wingull in his arms, he tossed it hard into the water.

"Good job!" She praised. Before she could ask for another attack, he whirled his blades and stabbed toward where the wingull had fallen. The air twisted around the point that he had punched forward, creating a projectile that spiraled through the fog. Wingull was struck before Archimicarus even landed on one of the floating surfaces. As the fog cleared, she saw the bird pokemon floating belly up in the water.

"What a move!" Dewey whistled as he returned wingull to its pokeball.

"Wow!" Connie gaped. "That was great, Archimicarus!"

" _Scythe!_ " He raised his arms and shouted victoriously.

"Good job, young lady, but you haven't beaten me yet! Prepare yourself; this pokemon has been in the Dewey family for generations." He threw a pokeball and it arched through the air before releasing a dull, brown fish pokemon. Looking at it, Steven thought it looked more like a rock than a fish, but it easily swam through the water. "Say hello to relicanth."

"Relicanth... that's water and rock type, isn't it?" Connie said quietly. Louder, she said "Be careful!" to her pokemon.

"Relicanth, use rock tomb!"

"Dodge it!" She commanded. Archimicarus quickly lunged from one side to another as chunks of stone materialized. They slammed together, creating a tomb, but the moving rocks only clipped him. "Pursuit!"

He bounded forward and slashed at the pokemon where it sat just below the water. The fish seemed indifferent to the attack. "Water gun!" Archimicarus, in his zeal to cause some damage to the other pokemon, did not even try to avoid the hit. He was thrown and landed in the pool. Though he did not sink like Munchy, he struggled toward a platform.

"Aqua tail!" The relicanth accelerated toward Archimicarus, moving easily in the water.

"Watch out!" Steven gasped at the same time Connie did. Whipping its short tail around, it sent the scyther skidding across the water. Archimicarus landed at Connie's feet and struggled to rise. She knelt down beside him. "Are you okay? We..." She glanced at Steven. "We can stop if you need to."

Archimicarus stood and pointed his blades at the water. He stabbed them forward several times, sending forth the projectiles of warped air that it had used to finish off wingull. When they hit the water, they left tiny whirlpools in their wake. The relicanth, now deeper under water, _did_ try to avoid those attacks. "Okay." Connie said, sounding as if she had realized exactly what she needed to do. "Don't get too close. Keep using that attack." She snapped her fingers as she remembered its name. "Vacuum wave!"

The scyther flapped its wings rapidly to warm itself and dry off. All the while, it kept up the barrage. The pool's surface grew choppy, and underwater it was a virtual whirlpool. Dewey was clearly feeling the heat. "Water gun!" he commanded. However, the stream of water was quickly broken up by Archimicarus's attacks.

Breathing hard, the scyther stopped. Steven could tell that it was simply too tired to attack any more. He watched the water. As it cleared, he could see relicanth resting at the bottom, unable to fight.

"Your scyther is the winner," Dewey conceded, returning his pokemon to its ball. "You've earned the Sea Shell Badge."

"You did it!" Steven shouted.

Connie stared at him for a moment. A smile spread across her face. Laughing she threw her hands in the air. "Woo! We did it!" Archimicarus cried out happily as she jumped up and down around him.

She was beaming as the gym leader approached her. "I'm sure you all will be able to protect yourselves outside of our lovely city." He placed a glossy, sand dollar-shaped badge in Connie's hand. "And with a badge like that, people will recognize you as a real trainer."

"Thank you." Unsure where else to put it, she opened her glasses case and placed it inside. She turned back to Steven. "One more stop at the pokemon center, and then we can go."

Seeing the joy on her face, Steven couldn't stop himself from smiling, too.


	5. Chapter 5

The children and their pokemon trudged through the night on a long brick path. The moonlight and stars were bright enough to light the way. Connie had stopped under the last lamp for a long while to check the map and make sure they were heading in the right direction. Between Seesea and the next major city, Firnapier Town, was a small village and supposedly many houses and rest stops, but they had yet to find a single place to stay.

The world was certainly bigger than Steven had thought. Never had he breathed air without a strong odor of ocean salt. Now it only smelled sweet and leafy. As nervous as he was about leaving behind what he knew, he was excited about encountering something new. Finding Lapis was his main priority, but it also occurred to him that he might find his family, too. The thoughts buzzed around in his head and formed little order. Being tired did not help.

"Steven," Connie gently interrupted his thoughts, "wait a minute." The road turned to dirt ahead of them and split into two paths. She yawned as she sat down with the map and pulled the phone out of her pocket. Using its screen to illuminate the image, she examined the route. "...It looks like it meets up either way, but it's shorter to the left." She rubbed her eyes.

"Then let's go to the left," he replied. "... If you think you can keep going."

"I'm okay," she assured him. "Just tired. We'll find somewhere to stay soon." As she spoke, she leaned her head forward onto the map. Her hair slipped forward to hide her face. Archimicarus buzzed his wings loudly. She startled upright. "Sorry." Quickly, she got to her feet. "Let's go."

Steven followed after her as they trod down the dirt road. Munchy did not seem too tired, and tolerated Little Bud sleeping on his back as they went. After a long while of walking, the terrain looked to be changing. The path became rougher, and boulders cropped out of the ground around them.

He breathed hard as he climbed over a pile of stone. Connie was just behind him. Their pokemon had an easier time; both Munchy and Archimicarus were lithe and agile over the rocks. At the sound of a small clattering and a yelp of surprise, Steven worriedly looked back at his friend.

"I- I'm okay," she gasped, clinging to the stone. "Something fell and it scared me. I didn't slip." Looking back at where the pebbles had fallen, she began climbing again. Connie reached a hand forward to grab at a handhold. It broke off; she fell backward. Screaming, she pawed desperately at the air. Steven nearly fell trying to reach a hand out for her. Archimicarus was faster. He dove and abruptly jabbed his blades into the stone. As she fell past, he snatched her between his clawed feet, flapping his wings to help hold her weight. Stunned, she hung there with her eyes closed. After a second, she realized she was no longer falling. Slowly, her eyes opened. Seeing her pokemon struggling to keep her up, she shakily grabbed for the wall. "T-thank you."

Steven's heart pounded in his chest. "You okay?"

"Y-yeah."

Maybe we should stop once we're over this."

"Mhm," she acknowledged, though most of her attention was on avoiding another fall.

He reached the top and pulled himself up, then quickly turned to offer her a hand. She gratefully accepted. Archimcarus leapt up just behind her. Since Munchy had carried Little Bud to the top, that completed their group. "That was scary," Steven murmured. "You're really okay?"

She flopped on the ground despite her dress being dirtied. Clearly she was just grateful to be on flat stone. "Yeah." For a few minutes, they sat there catching their breath. Their heartbeats slowly calmed in their chests and Steven and Connie took the opportunity to look ahead.

They had reached the peak of their climb; the rock sloped gently down into a dish shaped clearing and gave way to grass. Steven squinted into the darkness in hopes of seeing more, but the shadows were too thick. A cold, wet breeze blew. He looked ahead just in time to see lightning illuminate the gathering clouds. "Come on, Connie!" He grabbed her hand and helped her up. The scent of rain hung in the air, and it unnerved him to be in the open with lightning flashing above. Together, they ran toward the center of the clearing. It was large, and he could not see much but a faint light to go by. Raindrops fell to the ground around them as a wall of large stone blocks came into reach. Running his hand along the wall, he searched for a door. He ducked his head and blinked water out of his eyes as it fell harder, soaking his hair and shoulders. The light he had seen before was gone. Instead, they followed the wall. He could hardly see a foot ahead of him in the rain and dark, but the occasional lightning illuminated a towering building in disrepair. The image was caught in flashes of his vision: ivy creeping up a wall, a spiraling stone staircase long exposed to the elements and smoothed by running rainwater, tall pointed windows with no glass.

" _Ski!_ " Munchy brayed. The sound was loud enough to get his attention. He followed it to its source, and his hand went through an opening in the stone: an empty doorway into the dark. He heard his skiddo cry out again, and the softer sound of Little Bud. He stepped through.

Past the open doorway it was dry inside, and at first he thought there might be a carpet underfoot. However, when Connie pulled out the cellphone and switched on its light, he saw that it was the wooden door that had belonged in the space. It was overgrown in a dense green fungus. They moved further inside. "What is this place?" she murmured, shining the light around. They had entered at the end of a long hallway. The stone walls ran, but at least they were protected from the torrent outside. As they walked in further, the drum of the rain became eerily quiet. It was replaced by a soft, not quite rhythmic drip.

"It looks like a castle from a storybook," Steven responded. He nearly jumped as Munchy pushed his head under Steven's hand. Little Bud was crouched low on the skiddo's back, frightened of the place. The walls were strewn with cracks. The floor, which once must have been polished and smooth, was now pitted and pebbly. Once in a while, some sort of textile art hung down from the wall, tattered into ribbons. Every several yards, they came across a heavy metal chandelier, rusted and bent. The things looked like they had been ripped down and pushed aside.

Connie stopped at the second one they passed and ran a hand through her wet hair. "Steven, I don't know if we should go any further. It's kind of... creepy in here, don't you think?"

"... Well, we have to find somewhere to wait out the rain. Maybe we could find a not too scary room to stay in here? Somewhere with a door." He glanced back down the hall. A cold breeze whistled through, and they all shivered.

She sighed. "I don't... I don't know..." As she looked back toward the door, lightning flashed. That seemed to convince her. "Maybe we can look around."

"We'll be careful," he smiled reassuringly and took her hand.

She smiled back. "Okay."

* * *

Three separate, discordant songs rang around her as she carried the cages of chatots. "Quiet!" she groaned, dropping the trio a little more forcefully than necessary into the loading truck. Ambipoms, persians, mr. mimes, girafarigs, and countless other pokemon rose their voices as the doors opened. Shutting them quickly cut off the noise. "There. That's all the circus pokemon that have been seen in this area," She called. In the mirror, there was a thumbs up from the driver. They drove off.

She pulled her tablet out of a pouch at her waist and tapped the screen. A short message scrolled across:

Hello, Peridot!

And a porygon2's face appeared. She had downloaded a skin for it that colored its legs, belly, tail, and beak a lime green and the rest of it was a darker shade of the same color. For a moment its eyes flickered to a pair of lines that gently curved up at the center, giving it the appearance of a smile. It quickly returned to a neutral expression, the only one in its actual programming. It didn't miss her notice that it had started greeting her with an exclamation point at the end of its sentence instead of a period since she had upgraded it last month, too.

"Hello, Watan. Time."

11:23 PM. Current working hours: 10 normal time, 3:23 overtime. Clock out?

"Clock out, please. Thank you. Messages."

5 messages.

Message 1: Timestamp 2:31 PM, Sender: Jasper Pitafi, Squadron 3, Type: voicemail, Display: text: "Ugh, Peridot. Do you know how long it took to get this thing to make a call? Show me how to use the upgrade already. OH WHAT THE... -huffing- It doesn't even display things right. The buttons move around the screen. What is-" End message.

Peridot pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. She could already guess what the other messages were going to be like. "Delete it. Next."

Message 2: Timestamp 3:00 PM, Sender: Jasper Pitafi, Squadron 3, Type: voicemail, Display: text: "Everyone only updated theirs once? No one knows what I'm talking about! Is this some kind of joke? My porygon isn't even showing letters anymore it's all 1's and 0's. I-"

"Delete all messages from Jasper."

0 messages.

She sighed and went to put her tablet away, but it interrupted her with a quiet tone. Lifting it again, she saw that the pokemon was displaying another message.

Reminder: 2 incomplete G-8 forms opened today at 5:47 PM at the following location. Flagged for following reason:

A recording of her voice played: _"_ _You_ know _who she took?! Inform the squad that I have a key witness. This is top priority."_

A link appeared on the screen showing the location and Peridot tapped it. That she had forgotten peeved her to no end. "Thank you," she said sincerely. That smile flickered briefly on its face again.

No backup response. Begin navigation?

She considered leaning on the wall as she thought but upon seeing its filth, she decided against it. "Not yet... Call Jasper."

…

Jasper's arcanine had a smooth, even gait and its fluffy back made a soft seat as it ran. That still did not mean that Peridot was comfortable holding a tablet while she was on it. One arm wrapped around Jasper's waist left her with only one to work on the pokemon within the technology, and moving at over 100 miles an hour, that felt far from secure. It was what Jasper insisted, though. She didn't care how it happened. She just wanted it fixed _now._ Of course, that seemed impossible. The thing that twisted and spasmed around the screen couldn't be considered a porygon or a porygon2. The best name she could get to appear for its source file was "prYgnnZ. fun" and any text was flickering between letters and 1's and 0's. It gave her a headache to deal with. When she attempted to open and examine certain components, they would simply close on their own, and a random image would be displayed; usually it was a black and white photograph of a metal hand or smoke over a beach. There were a few obvious bugs that could easily be fixed or deleted, but clearly this version of porygon was deeply flawed.

"You'll have to replace it," Peridot muttered.

"What?"

She spoke up to be heard over the wind. "You'll have to get a new porygon!"

"No, just fix it!" Jasper responded stubbornly.

She clutched the tablet to her chest and leaned forward as the arcanine leaped up a set of steps. "Why did you upgrade it twice? The company only sent out the porygon2 upgrade. I don't know where you got this one."

She snorted. "Are you seriously saying no one got the second email?"

"That is exactly what I'm saying."

They slowed as Jasper's pokemon sniffed at the ground. In some places, the petals had been swept aside. They were trampled into the cobblestone here. It rose its head and let out a howl before it began running again.

"Just give it back to me!" Jasper said, reaching back and snapping the tablet. She was steady on the back of the galloping pokemon, and Peridot did not even attempt to fight her. "I'll fix it on my own. It's not worth getting a new one." Music, just loud enough to hear, played from the tablet in her hand. It sounded like a cheerful song from a music box.

Jasper's face reddened. "Quiet!"

The music stopped.

She shoved it back into the pouch at her waist. "I don't even want to know what that thing will look like in the real world."

"Maybe the bugs won't carry over." She decided to be as nice as possible. She couldn't fix Jasper's pokemon, but she _did_ still want her help.

"Hmph." She buried her hand in arcanine's mane. "Why do you want to track down these kids, anyway?"

"Does _no one_ read my updates!?" Peridot huffed. "They _knew_ who Pearl kidnapped. That means they could know what she wants."

"Two kids could know about Rose Quartz's plans?" There was a scoff in her voice: a mild air of disbelief. "How old were they?"

After a moment of thought, she answered "Ten or eleven, probably. They had a pokemon. Do you want to see the picture I took?" The arcanine had slowed to a trot, having to follow the flow of traffic now. It was bouncier to ride, and she was uncomfortable taking out her tablet when that was the case. She had offered before she had considered that. Usually Jasper wasn't interested in knowing who exactly they were looking for, anyway; her arcanine could easily sniff someone out.

"Let me see."

"What? Not when we're moving like this!"

Groaning, Jasper looked up at the buildings around them. "Hold on."

"What are you-" she began. A sharp whistle interrupted her. Hastily, she wrapped both arms around the other officer. The arcanine's head shot up. It examined the buildings, just like Jasper had.

"Up!"

It didn't even crouch before leaping onto the wall of the nearest tall building. Its claws dug into stone, and it leapt again, twisting to plant its feet higher on the building across the street. Peridot buried her face in Jasper's hair as the consecutive impacts hit her. One more jump, and they were on a rooftop. It laid down and she rolled off. She felt sick. "I hate it when you do that!"

"Show me the picture."

She dug her tablet out of her pouch and pulled up the picture before handing it to Jasper.

Jasper examined the image long enough for Peridot's stomach to settle, which surprised her. As she climbed back onto her feet, she received her tablet back. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

She shook her head with a grunt of negation. Peridot found it noncommittal at best. "Come on." Arcanine danced excitedly on its paws. It only ever did that when its master was excited. "Let's go get them."

* * *

Steven pushed his shoulder against the door. It was solid, but the humidity had made the wood swell. Connie joined him. Little Bud encouraged them with little chirps and coos. After a few seconds of shoving, it had budged about an inch and no further.

"It's no use," Connie gasped, sliding to the ground. She wrapped her arms around herself.

"We'll get it," Steven insisted. They had been wandering the halls for forever. At least, it seemed that way. Nerves had given them a sense of urgency. This was the only room on the first floor with a working door. The rest were off their hinges, strewn across the floor as soggy woodchips. Occasionally, Munchy would stop to nibble at the pieces nervously. Now, he was watching Connie and Steven. "Come on. I bet it's warm in there."

The lightning flashed; light fell through a doorway down the hall. It gleamed off of Connie's glasses as she looked up at him. She pushed herself to her feet. "Okay. We'll keep trying."

" _Kidoo!_ " Munchy's hooves clacked on the ground. He backed into the room across the hall. The two kids watched him, dumbfounded. As he stopped against the wall, the skiddo stomped his foot twice as warning.

"What's he doing?" Steven asked, peeking through the doorway. Connie shrugged.

Munchy charged forward. Full body, he rammed into the door. It popped open and he tumbled through.

"Munchy!" Steven exclaimed. He wasn't sure if he should be happy or concerned. He ran into the room. His pokemon was shaking himself off, unscathed. He looked up at Steven expectantly. Still conflicted, he said "... Good boy? Uh, yeah! Good boy, Munchy!"

Connie followed a little bit after, shining the phone light around.

"Look!" Steven grinned. The room wasn't as big as some of the others, but the walls and floors were dry. There was a blanket on the ground and a beanbag chair in one corner. A folding table, much too new to fit the place, sat in the room between three chairs. Like a cherry on top, a glossy red box of playing cards sat on the table.

"Someone must come here often," Connie murmured. He had expected that she would be excited, but she still sounded nervous.

"I bet that means there's a house nearby!" he grinned.

"...Yeah. We can find it once the rain stops." She gingerly set the phone on the table and pulled off her shoes. "Let's dry off as much as we can."

"Mm." He tugged off his shirt and stepped into the hall to wring it out.

"Look, a sweatshirt." Steven looked back and saw her holding up the aforementioned garment. She held it even to her shoulders, and it fell just below her knees.

"Is it dry? You could wear it until your dress dries."

"Yeah..." She patted it with a hand. "Don't watch me change, okay?" she added sheepishly.

"Oh, uh yeah." He pulled the door shut between them, careful not to close it so much that it would stick again. Taking the chance while he was alone, he pulled off his shorts and wrung them out too. They had gotten drenched, and even though it was not raining in the castle, it was still too damp to dry them. As he tugged the soggy clothing back on, lightning flashed. In the moment of illumination, something glided into a room. It _was_ a room, right? He could not make out the doorway. He stared at it, waiting for another flash. He nearly jumped when he heard a voice behind him.

"I'm done changing."

"O-okay, I'm coming." He glanced back into the dark before joining her. He closed the door, again careful not to close it all the way. It muffled the noise of rain falling and wind blowing through the hall. Inside, the room was quiet.

She rubbed her eyes. "Let's try to get some sleep. You can have the bean bag."

"But..." he stopped when he realized that she had already curled up on the ground, her legs tucked into the sweatshirt. Her head rested on her hands, and her eyes were already closed. She did not seem cold enough to need the blanket now; the room was warm, even a little stuffy with the door closed. "Oh... ok." His clothes were all still soggy, so he put his shirt on the table next to her dress. Both were spread out so they could dry. Munchy was lying underneath the table, Archimicarus was resting his head on the seat of a chair. He tugged the blanket over to the beanbag. Wrapping the it around himself, he sunk into the bag. He startled as a lump in the blanket started to move toward him. A quiet " _Bu_ " and he relaxed. It was just Little Bud. The pokemon climbed into his arms and settled down. Leaning his head on it, he closed his eyes. Connie turned off the phone light, submerging them in darkness.

Not much time had passed before a sound made his eyes fly open. A laugh, he had thought. He could not see a thing, but he looked around anyway. A smell hit his nose and he crinkled it in disgust. "Connie do you smell that?" he whispered.

She didn't answer. His friend was snoring softly.

He put the blanket in front of his nose, but started coughing anyway. A chair clattered on the other side of the room.

" _Scyther!_ " A pair of eyes lit up in the dark, only for Archimicarus to slash them apart. The air cleared at once. Steven pinched his eyes shut and tried to pretend it was a dream. He was tired, seeing and hearing things. That was all. Archimicarus was quiet. He managed to doze off again.

The next thing to disturb him was a creak. He opened his eyes more slowly, feeling goosebumps prickle up on his skin. A flickering purple light trickled into the room, interrupted by a shadow cast by someone in the open door. Steven put a hand over his mouth. Bare feet stepped out into the hall. Her height, the sweatshirt... "Connie!" All of the pokemon startled at his voice. She was disappearing into the hall and he was almost too scared to move after her. At the sight of Archimicarus zooming past him, he gained the courage.

Setting Little Bud on the beanbag, he ran for the door. A terrified scream escaped his throat as the scyther was thrown past him in a ball of fire. The bug pokemon landed hard on the ground. Archimicarus thrashed and screeched until he smothered the flames. He climbed to his feet and, despite obvious burns, ambled after Connie.

Steven gulped. Holding the blanket in front of him as a shield, he hurried to follow him. Just his eyes peeked over to see Connie. She was walking slowly, and before her was a creature glowing with gloomy purple flames. It floated over her, with a presence that filled the hall. Smaller flames moved rhythmically between it and her, and Steven had to fight to pull his eyes away from it. "Hey!" he yelled. "Leave her alone!"

Its yellow eyes looked up and narrowed. It rose above Connie and shot a jet of flame at him. He hurried to lift the blanket. The fire had force; it pushed him back, washed over the blanket and spilled onto the ground. It danced and dissipated above his head. His hands felt hot through the thick fabric of the blanket. As soon as the force let up, he threw the burning fabric aside. "Owowow!" He shook his hands out. It was leading his friend away still. "Connie!"

Her slow but steady gait paused.

" _Chh!_ " the fire type hissed in frustration. It swung one of its flaming arms and launched another ball of fire. Steven lunged out of the way. Like water, it hit the ground and splashed across the hall. Steven slapped out the stinging flames that landed on his skin. Munchy and Little Bud flinched away.

"Stay back!" He warned. Archimicarus was not willing to listen; using his wings for extra lift, he jumped and launched himself over the flames. Another fireball promptly shot him down and he was sent sprawling on the stone. He struggled to rise. "Stay-stay back! Please!" Steven insisted. "Little Bud, help him! All of you, get back in the room, please."

The budew waddled over as fast as he could and began using water sport to soothe his burns. Archimicarus had been thrown so far that having Little Bud help him put more distance between his pokemon and the one trying to take Connie. He just had to get her away from it, now. Hopefully without getting burnt to a crisp. He sprinted forward and grabbed her arm. Turning clumsily, he rushed back toward the door, dragging her after him. At first she stumbled, but she seemed to break out of whatever trance she was in and realize the danger. Eyes wide, she squeezed his hand tight.

They were almost through the doorway when the stone began cracking under their feet. Everything went dark except for a red hot glowing beneath them. He couldn't see the door. Squeezing his eyes shut, he tried to feel for it. Expecting to find nothing where there had been empty black, he slammed his palm into the corner of the doorframe painfully. He swung on it and nearly tossed Connie inside.

The blackness and hot, cracking stone disappeared all at once. His arm felt like it was on fire, and Connie was staring up at him, terrified, from where she lay on the floor. Archimicarus hunched over her protectively, and Munchy and Little Bud were in a far corner of the room, hardly visible in the flickering purple light. The broiling grip tightened around his arm. His hand was jerked from the doorframe and he fell into the hall. Above him, the pokemon burned hungrily.

A stone shot into it like a cannonball. The impact was so loud. It sounded like glass shattering and oil popping directly in his ears. Crying out in surprise, he covered them. A second pokemon with a huge head and a brown body jumped over him. It pursued the flaming pokemon and the purple light faded down the hall.

Steven leaned his head back on the ground, shocked and suddenly exhausted. A faint blue light drew near, and he flinched away. He relaxed a little as he felt a gentle, cool breeze blow over his arm. He closed his eyes.

A startled yelp left his throat as Connie dragged him back into their room. She pushed the door shut before anything else could follow them in. They were submerged in darkness again. "Sshh!"

He was absolutely still. The door muffled the sounds that came through: footsteps so heavy, the doorframe rattled, an authoritative voice, and then an explosion. At least, they thought it was an explosion. The sound went on and the building rumbled. It didn't end at once; instead, it faded into the distance.

Steven and Connie huddled against the door for the rest of the night, hoping that the wood could keep whatever had been outside at bay.


	6. Chapter 6

Lapis refused to meet her eyes. She examined the hands across the table: her palms were pale, and there were little nicks and scratches along her skin. They were immaculately clean except for thin lines of dirt deep underneath her nails, and her fingers looked plump and healthy, even as she wrung her hands together. Two thin, gold rings sat around her left ring finger, looking like they had been there since the beginning of time. The tablecloth underneath was cream with a rosy floral pattern. It seemed inappropriate. Lapis had always imagined this confrontation in a cold, cheerless interrogation room. She had imagined isolation, if not explicit torture.

This kitchen. This house. No Steven. Only Rose. Outside there were trees and flowers and gardens, but no escape. It was even more unsettling.

"Where is he?"

She felt like she was breathing through a vise that tightened with each inhale. "I don't know."

"You lost him." Her voice was so sure, so accusatory.

Rose was right. There was no argument she could make for herself. "He's never been away from home before. I... I don't know where he would go." _Why would you ask me anyway? Now that he's on his own, Lion will find him._ As much as she wanted Steven away from these people, she wanted him safe, too. If Lion found him, he would have protection.

"He's been away from _home_ all this time because you kidnapped him." Her voice was hard-edged. "...I trusted you, Lapis."

She looked up in surprise. Steven's mother was staring at her, emotion burning in her eyes. She would have thought the feeling of betrayal had long faded away by now. She thought she would see something easy to hate, like fury or loathing. She wanted to believe that she was looking into the eyes of an evil person.

But Rose was completely and sincerely wounded; the anger was clearly there, but sorrow and worry made it seem justified. "Why did you do this?"

Lapis stared back at her, the words coming out with less emotion than they had always had in her head. "I never trusted you, Rose. You-" she swallowed. "You're not as good as you think you are."

"Do you think that you're better than I am? That you could give Steven a better life than his own mother could?" The tablecloth bunched underneath her hands as she leaned forward.

Being confronted like this made thinking hard. She was prepared for shouting or pain, for disgust or imprisonment, even for death. Anything but this. She had been so young then, just another hand to help watch for a baby that saw no deficit of love. But seeing all those people tapped into something she wished she would never have to experience again. Face after face reminded her of who those people used to be and what they did to her and countless others. Lapis could have endured the nightmares. She could have tolerated the way every single one of them made the hair on the back of her neck stand. Team Crystal changed all of that. They were planning something, just like before. Casualties were expected. War was war.

Her heart beating in her chest brought her back to the present. "... no, but I couldn't let him be raised by people who would fill his head with lies about the world."

Rose seemed to consider this carefully. She slowly rose to her feet. "You don't know the truth about the world, Lapis. You'll never understand the pain you caused." Though the words were not said, the woman's eyes seemed to declare that there was something deeply wrong with Lapis, and that she needed help. At the same time, they seemed to say _'I can help you, but I won't. You will never be okay.'_ She turned to leave, and the expression was completely obscured by her long, voluminous curls.

"What are you going to do with me?" Lapis had only gathered the courage to ask as the woman's hand touched the doorknob.

She only paused for a moment. Without an answer, she opened the door and strode out. It closed firmly behind her.

* * *

Her eyelids felt sticky over her eyes. Connie rubbed them with the long sleeve of the sweatshirt. She was lying on the floor looking over Archimicarus's wounds in the light of dawn. His outer carapace was singed, but after resting he was managing. Steven was standing in the doorway, putting on a damp shirt. She expected that she had bags under her eyes to match his. She noticed, though, that around his arm was a ring of skin that was white as a sheet. The sun shown through the windows and fog, illuminating both disheveled children and pokemon and catching the wound in the light. When everything was visible, the place seemed peaceful and innocent.

She patted her dress where it sat on the table. It still felt cold and wet. Shivering, she told herself that one day she would come back and return the sweatshirt. It was probably a lie, but at least her intentions were good. That felt like enough when fog threatened to chill her to the bone. "I really hope we're close to a town," she murmured, folding her wet clothes and tucking them under her arm.

"Maybe this castle is on the map," Steven suggested hopefully.

Her eyebrows raised a tiny fraction of an inch. _How could I forget about the map?_ Reaching into her dress pocket, she pulled out the soggy lump of folded paper. She could tell before it even left the pocket that the paper was starting to crumble and the ink was starting to bleed. Still, she tried to unfold it. The blotted images had printed onto one another. As she opened it, the paper stuck and tore despite the care she took. "Maybe it was..." she mumbled.

He forced a smile. "Well, if we just keep walking, we'll get somewhere."

She was too tired to attempt to match his enthusiasm. "Yeah... somewhere." Her stomach growled quietly and she blushed in embarrassment. "I hope we get somewhere soon."

"Me too," he agreed. Munchy stamped impatiently at the ground; Little Bud perched on his back. "I guess it's time to go."

They both silently agreed that getting out of the castle as soon as possibly was the first task. Since it didn't matter which direction they went, they climbed out the window of the opposite room. Their feet landed in tall, yellowing grass. Maybe it had been a courtyard at some point, but it was now overgrown with vines and twisting trees. The wall on the opposite side was complete rubble. It looked like it had fallen down the cliffside, disappearing into the morning fog. Connie couldn't imagine why it had been built there if it were unstable, but she did not stop to think about it. They picked their way across the courtyard, watching their backs. "Steven... what exactly happened last night? How did we get out in the hall?"

"I don't know. When I woke up, you were leaving. It was like you were hypnotized or something."

"See, I don't remember any of that. I don't remember anything until I was running away from that pokemon with you."

"I guess you were hypnotized, then." He kicked at a tuft of grass. "It's a good thing we're leaving."

Unsure how else to respond, she just mumbled "Yeah."

"I'm really hungry," he said, changing the subject.

"Me too," she agreed.

Munchy, who was leading the way, hopped down in front of them. His body sinking into the mist warned the children that there was a drop ahead. "Steven, wait." Connie didn't quite trust him to be as careful as she would be. She approached slowly, feeling out each step. The ground simply ended. They must be on the other side of the plateau. "Okay, it might be a far drop." She sat down and her feet dangled. Even when she reached out with her toes, she could not feel a thing. "Munchy!" she called, now worried that he and Little Bud had just fallen to their doom. She tried to sound calm, as not to upset Steven.

There were a few brief clacks of hooves on stone and Munchy leapt up beside her. Little Bud was still clinging to his back. " _Do!_ " the skiddo peeped.

"...How?" she wondered aloud.

"If he can climb down, so can we," Steven said optimistically.

"But we can't even see! He's just really good at climbing, Steven."

"Well maybe he can show us how." He turned to the pokemon. "You can show us the way, can't you?"

Munchy gave a happy wiggle and trotted over to Steven. He crouched down beside him and poked him with his horns.

"Ow!"

Munchy retreated at the exclamation, head hanging. Little Bud hopped up and down on the pokemon's back, peeping in the most commanding tone he could make. The skiddo obediently walked up to Steven again, but Steven grabbed his horn before he could get poked. In response the pokemon jerked his head sideways. The strong tug pulled Steven off his feet. He fell onto the pokemon's back, and Munchy took off.

"Woah!" Steven barely manage to pull himself into something resembling side saddle before his pokemon leapt off the edge and into the fog.

"Steven!" Connie was on her feet in a blink, completely flabbergasted.

There was an excruciating few seconds of silence before he called back up "I'm okay!" The sentence was punctuated with laughter. "That was fun!"

She breathed a sigh of relief.

"He's going to come bring you down now!"

She clammed up again. "No-no. I can just..." _Just what? What other way down was there?_

"Don't worry. It'll be okay, I promise!"

She could not see his face, but his voice sounded sincere. It seemed weird to question him now after going this far. "...Ok." It was quiet for a second and she realized that she had spoken too quietly to be heard. "Ok," she called out louder.

As Munchy made his way up, she noticed that Archimicarus was practically leaning on her with how close he was standing. It occurred to her that with his damaged eyes, the glasses, and the fog he probably could not see much at all. She turned and took one of his arms to get his attention; she was careful not to touch any of his burns or cut herself on his blades. "Wait until I get down and then follow my voice, okay. Come down really slow. Maybe just fly."

He nodded slowly. She released him as Munchy arrived. Nervously, she climbed onto the pokemon. She stuffed her dress in the big pocket of the sweatshirt and held onto his horns. Munchy jumped fearlessly over the edge. Within seconds, they were on the ground.

It took her a moment to get steady on her feet. Her knees were shaking. Once she did, she called up to her pokemon. "Okay, come on, Archimicarus. It's okay! I'm right here." Faint buzzing sounded from above them as he drifted downward. She could make out his shape through the fog. "Yep, keep going! I'm at the bottom. You're almost there."

The scyther drifted down right in front of her. He stretched out a leg and searched for the ground beneath him. Feeling grass, he dropped onto his feet.

"Good job!" She grinned at him. He rested his head on top of hers affectionately.

"It looks pretty flat from now on. You lead the way, Munchy," Steven said. They followed after the skiddo. A few small, ruined stone building littered the area.

The way the kids were moving, the sun was shining directly at them now. Where it cut through the fog, they had to shield their eyes. As the morning dragged on, it gained strength, practically blinding them. Steven almost walked into Munchy as he stopped abruptly.

Head down, the pokemon was nibbling at something. "What's that?"

He lifted his head, bright red dripping down his face. " _Do!_ "

"Is that... blood?" Steven gasped, taking a step back.

"It's too bright to be blood," Connie quickly answered. She plucked a stem from the corner of Munchy's mouth. "It's berry juice."

"Munchy!" Steven whined. "Why didn't you share?"

He licked the juice from his lips and trotted forward, head down as he sniffed for more. They followed after him tiredly. He stopped again, stomped, and looked back at Steven. There was another berry on the ground.

"Yay!" Steven snatched the plump red fruit. The thing was big enough to fill the palm of his hand, and had small lumps sticking up at regular intervals. He took a bite. "Mm!" He held it out to Connie.

Connie took it and examined it with caution. Her parents had always told her that she shouldn't eat things off the ground, but Munchy had eaten it and so had Steven... Her stomach growling softly convinced her. She took a bite. The thing was very sweet, and its juice dripped down her face. She leaned forward to avoid dirtying her borrowed sweatshirt. Wiping her mouth, she held it up to Archimicarus. He opened wide and ate the rest of the fruit in a single bite.

Little Bud hopped up and down on Munchy's back irritably. " _Bububu!_ " he scolded. Munchy, spurred on by his outburst, searched for more berries to share. After a few minutes of searching, they found the motherload: in the corner of two broken walls, a pile of berries that had to be around three feet high. With a coo of delight, Little Bud hopped off. He began nibbling on a berry about half his size.

Steven was grinning as he approached, but Connie stopped him with a gentle grip on his arm. "Don't you think something might have gathered these up for itself?"

"Well... yeah, but we're only going to eat a couple."

"But what if it comes back and sees us eating its food?"

Steven frowned. "Um... why don't we pick a few and take them with us. We can eat them on the way to... wherever we're going now!" He brightened up again.

She nodded. "Yeah, okay."

She took a couple large berries from the top and placed them gingerly in the pocket of the sweatshirt. They sat neatly beside her folded dress. Steven had pulled the bottom of his shirt up to make a bowl. He took a couple as well.

Something caught his eye. He looked back to her with a face full of wonder and delight and then quickly snapped his gaze back to the pile. Poking out of the top was a curly black stem about as long as her forearm. The berry it was attached to must have been huge. Steven reached out and gave it a tug.

" _ **BOO!**_ " the entire pile seemed to scream.

Yelling, Steven reeled back and ran right into Connie. They fell to the ground, both flailing in an attempt to escape. Munchy had bolted but after seeing no one following he was just running in panicked circled. Little Bud and Archimicarus screamed back at the thing rising out of the pile.

Steven and Connie fell into a hushed silence and Archimicarus followed suit. With only Little Bud chattering at it, the pokemon in the pile seemed to calm a little. Connie watched it blink the startled look out of its eyes. Clearly it had just woken up.

"It looks like a pumpkin," Steven whispered. It glanced at him. He was not very good at whispering.

At least he didn't hold its attention. Looking around at its berries, which were now scattered everywhere, it slowly opened its mouth wide into an expression of stupefaction and then of disappointment. Resigned, it flopped, or rather rolled, face-down into the dirt. Little Bud had to rush to waddle out of its way. The pokemon was nearly as tall as Munchy and as wide around as it was tall.

Connie watched it just lay there for a moment. She and Steven exchanged a glance.

"Uh, hey there," Steven murmured. "It's okay." He reached out a hand cautiously and patted its back.

It sighed deeply in response.

"Here, look." He started gathering the berries around it in an attempt to bury it again.

Seeing what he was doing, Connie tried to help. The fruit kept falling off of it and rolling away. She could not imagine how it had accomplished this task on its own. It didn't help that their own pokemon had started to relax and begin eating the ones furthest away. "Sorry," she muttered, pulling a half-eaten berry away from Archimicarus.

It just sighed again.

"We'll make it up to you," Steven insisted. It managed to turn its head up enough to look at him. Connie noticed a bit of a change in his voice when it did; he perked up. "Yeah, we'll get you a treat! How about that?"

It rocked several time back and forth before it managed to get its feet beneath it. " _Kaboo._ " It looked at Steven expectantly.

"Oh... uh, now?" Steven's expression fell.

Nodding made it nearly fall forward again.

"I don't actually..." as he spoke, he searched his pockets. He looked back at Connie desperately.

"Maybe the bell?" Even suggesting giving away the item earned a scolding from Steven's little budew.

The pumpkin pokemon drooped to the point of nearly falling forward again.

"Maybe not now," He explained sheepishly. "Maybe later? Once we have the chance we'll definitely get you something. I promise!"

After a moment of looking up at him thoughtfully it began to gather the remaining berries. It lined them all up, and Connie and Steven watched in confusion as it deliberated. Finally, it picked up a splotchy blue berry. Its expectant gaze returned to Steven.

"You're okay with waiting?"

It nodded again.

Connie breathed a sigh of relief. This pokemon was not nearly as scary as the one they had encountered last night, but she didn't want to get in any fights. "As soon as we find something you want, let us know, okay?"

Holding the berry in the curl of its stem, it started walking with direction and purpose. As they had no other ideas where to go, the children followed it. The time that passed as they walked felt like a long while. The fog cleared, and they found a dirt road. Connie could hardly contain her excitement when she saw modern buildings up ahead. A sign welcomed them to Cleargem Town. Grinning, she and Steven ran into a small town with their pokemon right behind them. "We did it!" she declared jubilantly. Around them, people were going about their day.

"Where should we look for Lapis?" Steven asked seriously.

"I want Archimicarus to go to the Pokemon Center," she said firmly. "Then we can ask around and see if anyone's seen Lapis or Team Crystal."


	7. Chapter 7

The pokemon center took no time to find at all. It was at the heart of the little town and because of the size of the place it could be seen from almost anywhere in town. Along with a trainer convenience store, there was also a cafe and bookstore inside. It was right across the street from a train station as well, but the station was clearly not bustling.

Connie followed Steven up to the counter. "Excuse me," he asked. "Can you heal our pokemon?"

"Of course, dear," the nurse smiled at them sweetly and held out a hand. She quickly caught on to their confusion. "Oh, they don't have pokeballs? That's okay, too." She called another nurse over to watch the desk and led them to a table. Though she examined all of the pokemon, Archimicarus was the only one who needed sprays of potions and burn heals.

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome, dear," the nurse cooed. She returned to the counter.

"Okay, so the town's pretty small. We can probably start at one side and-" Connie paused as she saw the pumpkaboo poke at Steven's leg.

"You know what you want?" Steven asked.

Its response was to amble toward the pokemart counter. They exchanged a glance before following.

The pokemon was just tall enough to see into the glass display case. It gestured toward a black and yellow ultra ball. Connie frowned. "1200 pokedollars? That's most of our money. Are you sure you don't want a regular pokeball?"

It tapped the glass insistently.

"Ok... I guess we can get it." She pulled her dress from the sweatshirt so she could reach the money its pocket. Looking up to the clerk, she asked "May I have one ultra ball, please?"

"Sure thing," He smiled. "I'll just have to see your badges first."

"My badges? Why?" Still, she obediently took out her glasses case and showed him the Seashell Badge.

"I'm sorry, but you need five badges to buy ultra balls," he explained. "With them, it's easier to catch stronger pokemon and we need to know that you can handle it."

"I'm not using it to catch pokemon," she said desperately. It was no use; she knew rules like this were rarely bent.

"I'm sorry, but I still can't sell it to you."

Connie drooped.

"Well, it's okay! We just need four more badges." Steven looked down at the pumpkin pokemon. "If you stay with us, you could help us get more badges. Then we can get the ultra ball for you!"

The pokemon thought this over thoroughly. After a couple minutes of blocking other customers in front of the counter, it nodded.

"Yay!" Steven exclaimed as they made their way out of the pokemon center. "I'm making so many new friends."

She wasn't quite sure that this pokemon was interested in being their friend, but she smiled anyway. "If it... she?" she guessed. The pokemon did not object. "If she is going to stay with us, then we'll probably have to name her."

Steven put his hand on his cheek as he thought. A stupid grin crossed his face. "What about Pumpkaboo? Get it, because she looks like a pumpkin and she jumped out and scared me!" His grin widened.

Connie tried not to smile not just because the joke was terrible, but also because she knew that this type of pokemon was already called that. "Well... Steven, that's already the type of pokemon she is... It's called pumpkaboo."

"Whaat!? But that's such a good joke!" He crossed his arms. "I still came up with it on my own. I'm calling her that."

"Okay," Connie laughed. "As long as you know."

…

They spent the day searching the town, but as the sun burned at its highest in the sky, they ran out of places to look and people to ask. Luckily, a new group of people was emerging. Connie was a little intimidated by the teenagers and their pokemon, but Steven would walk right up to them.

It was one of these groups that caught his attention. Connie saw his face light up. Following his gaze, she saw a tall, dark-skinned young woman leaning against one of the buildings wearing a leather jacket and wide black sunglasses. Her hair was shaped into a large afro. She was speaking to three more teens: a boy with pale, spiky, blond hair; another dark-skinned girl with her short hair straightened and hoop earrings; and a tan, brown haired boy in a red jacket and sunglasses. Because the girl with the afro was easily the tallest and toughest looking, she registered as the leader of their group to Connie.

Steven ran right up to her, beaming. "Same hair!" he exclaimed, patting his springy curls.

The other teenagers giggled at his display of enthusiasm, but the young woman kept a straight face. "Same hair," she agreed, mirroring his body language to pat her fro.

"Mom!" He threw his hands into the air.

"Oh," she responded.

Connie's mouth fell open in shock. She couldn't tell how the girl felt. Her mouth hardly moved when she responded, and behind her tinted glasses, she could not see her eyes.

"Ooh, Garnet!" The other teenage girl laughed. "Who's the smallfry?"

Garnet shrugged, but put in "His name... is Steven."

Connie could practically see stars shining in Steven's eyes. He wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her tight. "It really is you!"

Obviously, Garnet was unsure how to react. She patted him on the head as he clung to her.

"You're so good with kids," the brunette boy said.

"W-wait a second," Connie interrupted. "She can't be your mom, Steven! She's too young!"

He released her from the embrace only to grab her hand. "But we have the same hair! And she knew my name!"

"Well, yeah, but-but there has to be another reason for that!"

"I'm a very good guesser," she said.

Steven laughed. "She's funny, too! Just like me!"

Connie looked at him helplessly. How could she convince him that he was wrong? "But..."

"Is that your sweatshirt, Garnet? Oh my gosh, that's so cute!" The girl squealed.

Connie looked down at her apparel, he face reddening. She hadn't expected to meet its owner like this. Through the sunglasses, she felt as if Garnet was just staring at her. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to take it," she peeped.

"That explains a lot," the blond boy said.

The teenagers nodded.

"What?" Steven asked, eager to stay in the loop.

"You were in our hangout at the castle last night," Garnet answered. She pulled out a pokeball. At a tap it expanded slightly, and they could see the creature inside. It glowed with a faint purple light. It was the pokemon that had attacked them last night.

"...You caught it?" Connie murmured.

Garnet nodded and put the pokeball back into her jacket.

"Don't you know it's dangerous to go into old castles at night? That's when all the ghosts come out!" The other girl faux shivered.

"But why were _you_ there?" Steven asked. He looked up at her with wide eyes.

Once again, the other girl answered. "She's got strong pokemon. She doesn't need to worry about that stuff!"

"I have good pokemon, too!" Steven peeped. "This is Munchy," he patted the skiddo on the head. "And that's Little Bud."

" _Budew!_ " the pokemon greeted.

"And this-" the same silly grin that crossed his face before appeared. "Is _Pump_ ka _boo_ because she looks like a pumpkin and she jumped out and scared me."

The teens exchanged amused smiles, but Steven was clearly waiting for someone to laugh. Slowly, his expression began to fall.

"That," Garnet said, "is hilarious." She smiled.

His expression instantly lifted. "Yeah! Oh," He pulled on her hand and she took a step forward. "This is my friend Connie."

"Hello, Connie. I'm Garnet." She extended a hand.

Connie forced a polite smile as she shook it. "...Hi, Garnet."

"I'm Jenny," the other girl said.

"Buck," the brunette greeted.

"Call me Sour Cream," the blond boy finished.

"We were just about to head up to castle now," Jenny began. Upon seeing both of the kids' distraught faces, she added. "But you all probably want to catch up. You can meet us there later, Garnet."

"Wait-" Garnet began, but the other teenagers didn't hear her. They piled into a car parked nearby.

"Bye Steven! Bye Connie! Nice to meet you!"

Connie managed a feeble wave before she looked back to Garnet. _What now?_ This situation struck Connie as so ridiculous, she could not imagine what the other girl was thinking.

After an uncomfortable pause, Steven tugged on the teenager's hand. "Mom, we're both really hungry."

She turned his hand with her own awkwardly, saw the scar around his arm. "...Okay." She turned and led them onward.

Steven bounced after her, still holding her hand tightly. Connie followed with less enthusiasm. They came to a small house that the two children had passed several times as they searched. It looked nearly identical to the other houses around it: one level, cream paint with brown shutters, and a small yard. Garnet led them and their pokemon inside. She pointed toward the kitchen. "Help yourself." With that, she slipped from Steven's grip and disappeared through a doorway.

"She's nice!" Steven said jubilantly. He floated over to the refrigerator and opened it up. "Lapis must have made a mistake. I bet Mom'll even help us find her!"

"Steven..." Connie began carefully. "Lots of people have curly hair, and she said she just guessed your name. Why do you think she's your mom?"

"I just," he waved his hands in front of the open fridge, searching for words. "I know it's her! I knew it right when I saw her."

She sighed. Convincing him would be hard without crushing his hope. Maybe he would just realize it on his own.

He pulled a bag of deli meat and some cheese out of the fridge. "Sandwich?"

"Okay," she agreed. Their pokemon had found their own source of food: a huge bowl of kibble sat on the floor by the counter, half full. Little Bud sat inside it as he ate and all the others sat around it. She felt a little self-conscious about taking all this food, but she knew that they were hungry. The berries they had eaten hadn't filled them up.

Garnet returned with several sets of clothes, all of which were much too small for her. They would probably fit Steven and Connie, though.

Steven passed a ham sandwich to Connie, and hastily made one for himself. Holding it in his hands, he scrambled back over to Garnet, still smiling widely. "So you saved us last night with your cool pokemon?"

"Yes."

"That's so awesome!"

A tiny smile crossed her lips. "Do you want to see them?"

His eyes shined. "Yeah!"

She reached into her coat and took out a pair of pokeballs. She brought one close to her face. "No biting." Then she held both out and released the pokemon inside.

Connie could imagine why she had told one not to bite. It's head was massive, mostly comprised of a snout with a large mouth full of sharp teeth. It had small, clawed front arms and a brown body. Its feet looked like they were the only thing proportional to its head, and its tail was stumpy. The other pokemon looked more graceful. It was baby blue with a shiny gem on its side. It had a long neck and walked on four feet. Above its eyes were yellow and pink crests. "I've never seen pokemon like that before," she murmured, walking up to the blue one and holding out her hand. It eagerly pressed its face against it, and she was surprised to find that is was cold to the touch.

"That's because they're extinct," Garnet said simply.

"Woah. Cool!" Steven crouched down to better look into the brown one's mouth.

"No biting." Garnet repeated sternly as it leaned toward him. It snapped its jaws shut and looked up at her.

"How?" Connie gasped. "How did you get them if they're extinct?"

"My moms rescued these pokemon from a lab that experimented with reviving fossils," she explained. "They gave them to me."

Steven stared at her with a look of wonderment. "I have _double_ grandmas!?"

She pursed her lips. "It's... not as exciting as it sounds... but I'm sure they'll love to meet you." The sentence was punctuate with another small smile. She pulled a phone from her pocket and glanced at the screen. "They'll be home soon."

Connie was still trying to grasp that these pokemon were literally prehistoric. "Do you have any more?"

"I have one more pokemon, but it's too big to let out in here,"

"Giant pokemon!" Steven beamed. "Can we see it? Please, Mom?"

"Put on some clean clothes first." Garnet handed them each a small bundle. "And then I'll show you." She pointed Steven toward a bathroom and Connie toward a bedroom to change.

Connie looked at the dress she had been given. It was a plain blue, and when she pulled it on it was just a little loose around her shoulders. It hung comfortably at her ankles. As she looked in the mirror, she mused as to why someone as tall as Garnet would have it.

* * *

Ruby watched Sapphire's feet dangle as she leaned against the train window. "You called Garnet to tell her we were coming, right?"

"I texted her." She held out another pokeblock to her sableye sitting beside her. She eagerly snatched the candy and crunched on it with satisfaction. "You know she doesn't answer when we call."

"She should!" Ruby insisted. "And she wonders why we don't let her leave town!" She huffed and crossed her arms. Muttering, she added "She doesn't even answer when we text. She acts like she hates us."

"Don't get upset over it."

"I will get upset over it! Do you see the way she dresses now? What's that about? And her attitude!"

"She's just trying to rebel," she responded coolly. Her sableye gently pulled at her dress and Sapphire handed her another pokeblock. She was not as slim as most sableye, and Ruby had never had to question why.

"Maybe we _shouldn't_ tell her when we're coming home next time. Then we'll really see what she's up to! Maybe we should just stay home all the time. Let's see her rebel then!" She threw her hands up dramatically.

Sableye laid its head in Sapphire's lap and licked another candy out of her palm. "We can't do that."

Ruby deflated. "Yeah. I know." Crossing her arms again, she looked out the window. "As long as she stays home, it's okay." Her nerves got the best of her and the sentence ended uncertainly.

"There's no reason she'll want to leave."

"What if she does?" Ruby's eyes widened. She felt her heart thud in her chest.

Sapphire took her hand. "We'll convince her to stay."

Ruby looked into Sapphire's good eye. A white eyepatch covered the left. "Whatever you say."

…

By the time the train whistled and left the station again, the pair was nearly home. Still, the town was small enough that everyone felt it when the train rumbled by. Ruby was relieved when she saw Garnet's Golurk, Tiny, in the front yard; it meant that Garnet had heeded their messages and was home. A loud, babyish squeal signaled their arrival and her Tyrunt, Tyrone, stampeded toward them. He stopped just in front of them. His entire body waggled with excitement as he poked affectionately at Ruby with his nose. She patted his face. Sapphire's amaura, Chip, followed soon after to receive similar attention with the one addition of a handful of pokeblock.

The next face she expected to see was Garnet's but instead she was greeted by a young boy running up to her. He looked as excited as their pokemon did. Ruby exchanged a look with Sapphire, and though her expression was neutral, she shook her head to show she did not know him.

"Hi! I'm Steven!" He threw his arms around Sapphire.

Ruby watched her wife freeze. Before she could react, Steven released Sapphire and hugged her. Dumbfounded, she watched Garnet approach behind him with another child in tow. "What's going on?"

"Hello mom, mother." A small smirk crossed her face. "Say hello to your grandson Steven."

Her mouth fell open before she could entirely process what she just heard. Just the idea of her baby with a child was terrifying. They had been gone for months at a time, but how? Who? The kid _had_ looked vaguely familiar. Her brain was too busy doing increasingly angry and panicked backflips to register that it was completely impossible. She felt the blood rush to her face and she was seeing red.

She didn't realize that she was shaking until Sapphire pulled her away from the strange child into a restraining hug and pressed her face into her shoulder. "Garnet, inside _now._ "

"Connie, Steven, stay with Tiny." She could still hear the smugness in Garnet's voice as they made their way into the house; it made her even more furious.

When she felt the carpet under her shoes, she pulled away from Sapphire and exploded. "What were you thinking!?"

"Who is that child?" Sapphire demanded. "Where did you get him?"

Garnet put her hands up defensively. Ruby felt that she wasn't taking them seriously at all, especially since neither of them quite cleared her shoulders in height. "Okay, he's not mine. He's my boyfriend's son."

" _WHAT?_ " Ruby cried. Both hands flew to her mouth to keep from shrieking at the idea.

Sapphire quickly grabbed her again. "You don't have a boyfriend," she said, more for Ruby's benefit that Garnet's.

Garnet shrugged.

"Garnet, stop it. Tell us what's going on."

She crossed her arms and looked down at her two mothers. Finally, she relented. Ruby was reeling too badly to respond to what she was saying.

"These two kids are looking for someone important to them. I'm going to help them."

"You can't," Sapphire responded, her voice like a clear bell among all the other thoughts tumbling through her head.

"I can."

"I am your mother and I say no," Sapphire responded firmly.

"I am too old to be told what to do. You can't keep me locked away forever."

"You're sixteen!" Ruby gasped, feeling a growing distress rising in her chest. She could hardly inhale.

"My pokemon are strong. I can do this." She did not even wait for an answer before pushing past them.

Sapphire was still, a look of shock on her face. She looked at Ruby.

Ruby gulped and ran out the front door after her. Garnet had returned all her pokemon to their pokeballs and was quickly leading the children away. "Garnet wait!" She tried to sound authoritative, to command her daughter, but her voice came out desperate. "Please!" Gritting her teeth, she reached for the pokeballs at her belt. If she had to physically bring Garnet back, her daughter would never forgive her. She screamed in frustration and spun to stomp back into the house. There had to be a better way to do this.

Sapphire was sitting against the wall, her head in her hands. "You were right," she choked. "We should have been stricter."

"No-no. _You_ were right," Ruby hurried to say. "It's my fault she left." She slapped her hands over her eyes. "It's all my fault!"

Her wife breathed in a shaky breath. "It's not your fault. We couldn't be here."

"You were right! We'll give her some space, okay? She'll come back."

Her gaze shot up. "But what if she finds out about us." She put her hands over her mouth. "All these years..."

"She won't," Ruby insisted resolutely. "We'll keep track of her, make sure she doesn't get too close." She pulled out her phone. It would not be hard to track Garnet's location with it. They all shared a phone plan, and there were apps for this. "I promise I won't let anything happen to her."


	8. Chapter 8

Steven looked back at the house as Garnet pulled him onward. Her expression was unreadable. "Mom?" he murmured. When she did not immediately respond, he spoke up. "Mom?"

"What?"

"Did they not like me?"

She glanced down at him. "No... They're mad at me, not you."

"... Why?"

"I tricked them. And now I'm leaving."

A frown tugged at his lips as she looked forward again. He couldn't help feeling that this was his fault.

"That woman you told me about, what direction did they take her?"

"Lapis? Um..."

Connie spoke up from a pace or two behind them. "We were going to look in Firnapier Town."

Garnet nodded and took the left path as they came to the edge of town: Route 16.

"Do you know a lot about Team Crystal?" Connie asked quietly. "It sounds like they're really dangerous."

Steven looked up at her hopefully, but she shook her head. He tried to cheer up as she glanced down at him.

"It doesn't matter. We'll get Lapis back," she encouraged. The certainty in her voice comforted him, and he smiled up at her warmly.

His enthusiasm faded as the hours passed. The sun began to sag in the sky. Little bud had curled up to nap on Munchy's back, and Munchy was skipping contentedly. Even Pumpkaboo seemed alright waddling to keep up with them, but Steven's feet felt like they were going to fall off. He had let go of Garnet's hand to keep pace with Connie, but now both of them were starting to fall farther behind the taller woman. "M-mom?" Steven gasped.

She stopped and looked back at them with a frown.

"How much farther?"

She crossed her arms. "We'll take a break here."

"Thanks," he huffed. Falling back on his rump, he began to peel off his socks and shoes. He buried his toes in the grass beside the road. A small hill blocked his view of what was beyond the road, but at least for now he was satisfied to lay down in its tall grass.

"Your feet stink," Connie giggled. Being given an opportunity to rest had clearly raised her spirits.

"We both stink!" Steven laughed. He stuck his foot in the air. Grinning, he glanced up at Garnet.

"I know what will clean you up." She effortlessly picked Steven up off the ground and lifted him high. From up above, he could see over the hill; a sparkling spring sat just at the bottom.

"Hey, look!" He pointed over the hill excitedly. As he did, Connie crawled through the grass to see.

Garnet moved faster than she did; in a couple seconds, she was at the waters edge. "Ready?"

Confused, Steven glanced back at her. "For what?"

"Three, two..." She swung him through the air and he gave a startled yelp. It turned into a giggle as she simply dipped his toes into the water. "One." Little, long-whiskered, gray fish emerged out of the pond bed to inspect his digits. She set him down and the fish scattered. He slowly sank into the submerged grass.

When he stopped sinking, the water came up to his calves, just below his borrowed gym shorts. Their pokemon accompanied them to the water's edge to drink but they did not get in; Munchy, especially, regarded the water with caution. Steven patted him on the head and leaned forward to gently rubbed the dirt off of his legs and feet. He saw Connie doing the same. She bunched her dress up above her knees so it would not get wet. He was about to mention how he felt a little guilty about murking up the clear water, but he saw their phone slipping from her pocket. "Watch out!" he peeped, lunging forward to grab it. Garnet caught him before he face planted into the water, and when he looked up, he saw the flip phone in her palm. "Oh no!"

"I caught it," Garnet assured. Connie, too gave him a startled look.

"No, that's not it! We should've called Sadie and told her we're okay. She's probably worried sick!"

"Actually, Steven... the phone died a while ago," Connie admitted.

"We can buy a new charger once we get to Firnapier."

Steven sagged. "...When do you think that will be?"

Garnet tilted her head back. He guessed that she was looking up at the sky thoughtfully. "Once we're done here, we'll keep going until it gets dark. We'll make camp, and then get there in the morning."

He kicked his foot through the water and watched the ripples. "Okay."

…

Steven blinked the tired out of his eyes as the last glimpse of the sun lowered under the horizon. For a second he was dazed by his surroundings and the way his feet dangled far above the ground, but the smell of Garnet's leather jacket brought him back to the present. "What time is it?" he yawned. He didn't even bother to lift his head from her shoulder.

"Almost time to stop?" Connie asked hopefully. She was sitting on Munchy's back as he trotted beside Garnet. His bumpy stride seemed to be getting to her.

"Yeah," she agreed. They strayed a little ways off the path to find a place to rest. There were rolling hills all around them now, and the sky was clear and starry. Archimicarus slashed through the thick grass with near blinding speed to clear a path for them. He seemed to decide that a small valley would be their resting place, because he cleared out a large area there and went no further.

"There's no tent?"

"We're sleeping under the stars!" Steven exclaimed. Garnet set him down and he ran to the center of their personal clearing.

"What about blankets?" She looked up at Garnet expectantly.

The teenager slid off her jacket and draped it over Connie's shoulders. "Are you warm enough?"

Her cheeks showed a faint, embarrassed pink. "Yeah."

Steven flopped down in the freshly trimmed grass and Little Bud waddled over. He curled up in Steven's armpit. Munchy was the next to lie down; he stomped down a small circle before dropping. Within seconds, soft snores floated out of the skiddo.

"Connie, look!" Against a navy and indigo sky, the stars shined vividly. Their lights shimmered so clearly that he could see different colors among them.

"Wow..." Connie breathed. He felt the ends of her long hair brush his ears as she laid down beside him. "I've never seen this many stars before."

"Lapis used to say that if you wanted to see a lot of stars at night, you had to turn off all the lights," Steven murmured. "It's like being quiet so you can hear the birds sing in the morning."

"I've never heard that either," she said quietly. "It's not like that in the city."

"All I really heard were wingulls," he said, hoping to cheer her up. "But I bet there'll be lots of singing for us to hear here."

"Listen." He nearly jumped at Garnet's voice. He had been so engrossed in his conversation with Connie that, though he would never admit it, he had forgotten she was there. Both of the children fell silent.

They listened carefully, but after several minutes of just wind blowing, Steven cradled Little Bud, sat up, and gave her a questioning look. She raised her index finger to her lips. _Wait._ He waited. Another couple minutes passed. Then, the sound started; at first just a single, quiet _ding_ like a note on a triangle. Connie sat up slowly beside him and looked around for the sound. Some distance away, another tinkle answered. Slowly, the sound was picked up by more hidden creatures all around them. Together, the stray chimes began to make up the semblance of a song.

He glanced at Connie to see her mouth open, and her expression awed. When she looked back at him, she smiled, and he guessed that he had been wearing the same face. A soft, flute-like voice joined into the chorus of chimes. The two grinned all through its song, and when its voice fell, Steven took the chance to whisper "What was that?"

"Kricketots and kricketune," Garnet answered. There was a very small smile on her lips.

"I've only read about those," Connie gasped, clearly fighting to keep herself quiet.

"That was so cool! How did you know that would happen?"

"I bet Garnet's been here before," Connie guessed. Despite her excitement, she yawned. "I bet she's been lots of places."

She shook her head. "This is the furthest I've ever been from home."

"Really?"

She nodded, the smile falling from her face.

Steven could hardly believe such a thing. "But you're old enough to go anywhere."

"I just haven't until now."

"Why not?"

She sighed. "My moms didn't want me to leave home."

"Why?"

"They don't think I'm strong enough."

"But you're really strong!" the musical pokemon around them fell silent as he made the exclamation. He leaned forward on his hand as he went on, "And you're smart, too!"

She smiled. "Thanks, Steven."

He observed her critically for a moment, unsure if she was taking him seriously.

"Really. It means a lot to me." She patted him on the head.

Steven crawled forward and wrapped an arm around her. He felt her hesitate, but she hugged him back. She held him for a long while. When she released him, he rolled over and rested his head in her lap.

"Garnet?" Connie peeped as she rubbed her eyes. "Do you have any extra pokeballs? Should we use them for our pokemon?"

"Mm," she considered. "Definitely once we get to the city. For now, they're okay."

His eyes drifted to the pokemon he had come to call his. Little Bud was comfortably nestled in his arms, Munchy was snoring softly on the cut grass, and Pumpkaboo was watching them from the tall grass at the edge of their camp. "I don't think any of my pokemon would like that. What's it like being in a pokeball?"

Connie answered. "I read in a magazine that it doesn't really feel like anything. Unless you activate it, it's like being asleep."

"Doesn't it feel squished? How do they fit in there?"

Garnet took a pokeball off her belt and placed it in Steven's hands. It expanded, and he could see the little blue amaura inside. He peered up at Steven, blinking as if he had just woken up. Upon seeing him, the pokemon let out a happy cry. No sound escaped his pokeball. Clearly, Chip was shrunken down somehow, but Steven still didn't know what to think of that. "What about pokemon who don't like it? What if you catch a pokemon that doesn't like you? Is it trapped?"

"Steven," She rested a hand on his head. "A pokemon doesn't have to stay in a pokeball if it doesn't want to, but being caught makes it easier to train."

"Why?"

"It tames them. They'll understand humans and behave better."

He stared down into the pokeball. "Does it change who they are?" When Garnet didn't answer, he looked to Connie for her opinion. To his surprise she had dozed off.

"Try to sleep, too," Garnet said finally. "We want to leave as soon as we can tomorrow."

He handed Chip back to her and slowly sat up. Little Bud blinked as he was stirred. The budew rolled over and fell back asleep in Steven's arms.

When Garnet laid down, Steven rested his head on her stomach. She ruffled his hair. "G'night."

He hesitated. "...Garnet?"

"Mm?"

"You're not really my mom, are you?"

He felt her take a deep breath. "No, Steven. I'm not."

The way his throat tightened caught him off guard. He waited a moment before he spoke again. "Is it okay if... if we keep pretending? Just until we find Lapis?"

She gently smoothed his hair down. The motion felt comforting. "Sure."

* * *

"Wh..." Peridot woke up to splashing water. Her face was buried in Jasper's hair, and she pulled away, spitting out stray strands. "What's going on!" While she was still on arcanine's back, her shoes and several inches of her pants were underwater. Letting out a tiny sound of distress, she pulled her legs up onto the pokemon. "Jasper!" Grass blew around the edges of the water, and the stars were bright overhead. Steam was billowing out of the pond where the canine lapped at the water. Everything about their presence seemed disruptive.

"What?" Jasper snapped.

 _Does this not bother her at all!?_ "We're getting wet!"

"He needs to cool down. We're stopping for tonight."

"Why are we stopping _here?_ "

"To _cool down_ ," she repeated.

"You couldn't have let us get off first?"

She gave an exasperated huff and tapped her pokemon with her feet. He took a few steps and they were back on dry land. Peridot dropped off the pokemon only to be soaked when he shook off. At that point, she could not even find the words to express her dissatisfaction. Attempting to ignore the squelching of her shoes, she put some distance between him and herself.

Jasper hopped down and patted his wet flank. He took it as permission to lay down in the shallow pond and roll, feet churning the air. "We're on Route 16 now. I bet we'll catch those kids by tomorrow afternoon. They couldn't've gone much farther."

If there was one thing she couldn't complain about, it was Jasper's ability to get things done. "...Good." She bent to try squeezing the excess water out of the legs of her pants. A pat to her tablet's case at her hip made sure it was dry. "Then we can question them."

"I was thinking we do more than question."

Sincerely surprised, she glanced up at the taller woman. "What do you mean?"

"We'll take them back to the station. They might be worth more than you think."

"How, exactly?"

Jasper found a comfortable place in the grass to lay down, hands behind her head. "Have you ever met Rose Quartz?"

"No."

"The boy looks a lot like her."

"You're saying they're related?" She wiped her hands dry and pulled out her tablet. Her hands were cold and stiff in the night air, but she found that Watan had no difficulty pulling up the photo she had taken. After a few seconds of examining it carefully, she pulled up an image of Rose Quartz taken by a news station. The two looked a little similar, but the boy looked as much like some random rockstar as he looked like the aforementioned leader of a criminal organization.

She seemed to sense Peridot's doubt. "It's in the eyes. She used to look like that, always star struck."

"And you found this out when you were- what, exchanging battle plans? I don't remember you ever meeting her."

"You wouldn't," she scoffed. "It was more than nine years ago. You were probably still in high school or something. We were in the academy then. She was going to be a counselor; I was going to be a cop, so we worked together. When we started going out and really seeing... the worst of things, she always said we weren't doing enough." Peridot watched Jasper's expression change; memories passed before her eyes. Then, in the cool way she dealt with most things, she brushed the memories off. "She always wanted to fix things. Her ideas were good, but they took a lot more time and work, and they weren't even close to 'by the book.' I'll admit even I was roped in for a while." She paused as her arcanine trotted over, tail wagging, and soaking from head to toe. He dropped a heavy, round stone on Jasper's stomach- about the size of her fist. With a huff, she picked up the stone. Peridot watched her wind up and throw; the stone went sailing into the grass. He sprang after it. Her eyes followed him.

"How does this relate to the kids?"

"Rose got pregnant. She had a son."

Peridot was struck by a cold front of disbelief. "What? Does she keep him in a cave in the woods? This sounds a _little_ like something that we would have stumbled upon by now."

"Someone kidnapped him when he was just a few months old. She never saw him again. The investigation into it was..." she seemed to wrack her mind for the right word, but all that she managed was "bad." Paws thudded over to them and her arcanine dropped the stone into the water. He stretched before flopping onto the grass.

She stared at Jasper, not quite sure how to interpret what she was hearing.

Her eyes slowly met Peridot's. Gaze unwavering, she enunciated "You're supposed to look out for your own, but Rose and her baby fell through the cracks. There's no good reason it should have gone that way. That's why you haven't heard about it."

She didn't have the stomach to keep looking her in the eyes. Carefully examining Watan's avatar on her screen, she muttered "So that's why she does what she does."

Jasper laughed dryly. "No, she was plotting before she lost him. He was what inspired her in the first place. She started talking about something much bigger: a better world for Steven."

Her hand hovered over the screen. For a while, she was quiet. "You think she really believes she's making the world a better place?"

Rolling onto her side, she closed her eyes. "There are some things that you just can't fix. All of those hopes and dreams of hers... She should've outgrown them a long time ago."


	9. Chapter 9

Red light shone through her eyelids, pulling her out of her rest. Birds were tweeting. She groped through the grass and located her glasses. Sliding them over her eyes, she looked up at the sky. The sun was higher than she would have expected it to be. "Steven," she murmured, nudging his shoulder. "Wake up."

"L...Lapis?" he asked drowsily.

"No. Garnet."

"Where... oh." He pushed himself upright, rubbing his eyes. He looked like he was ready to cry.

"It's okay," she mumbled. She ruffled his hair and forced a smile. "We're almost to Firnapier." _Please don't cry._

He sniffled and nodded.

"Why don't you go wake up Connie?" Stretching, Garnet got up. When he didn't follow, she picked him up and set him on his feet. Little Bud peeped as he rolled off the boy and onto the ground.

"Sorry," Garnet mumbled. She was more worried about Steven, though.

To her relief, he started to cheer up once he was fully awake. "Connie, It's time to go!" he called, stepping over Munchy to her sleeping form. The skiddo was still laying on the ground, but he had stretched his neck and eaten all the grass in his reach.

"Can we sleep in a hotel next time?" Connie asked. Her tone made Garnet question whether she had been asleep at all.

She rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck. "We can find a hotel in the city next time."

"I've never stayed at a hotel before," Steven said hopefully.

"Me neither," Garnet smiled as if it were a joke. "Let's get there."

"Just a second... Pumpkaboo!" Steven called, running to the edge of the tall grass. Distress entered his voice when the pokemon was not there. "Did she run away?"

Garnet glanced around for the creature, but froze as she saw a large shape rise on the hill: an arcanine, she realized. She reached for Tiny's pokeball. "We'll have to find Pumpkaboo later, Steven. Stay behind me."

To her surprise, she saw a tall, muscular woman drop off of the Arcanine. She had thought it was wild. As the woman approached, she gripped the pokeball anxiously. The woman's rumpled uniform did not help to ease the growing sense of foreboding in Garnet's gut.

Steven and Connie clung to her, hiding as the woman produced a badge. "Officer Pitafi. I need to ask you about those children."

Garnet's mouth felt dry looking at the stranger. She didn't answer.

"Where did you find them?"

"She didn't find us," Connie was the one who spoke up, unafraid of the officer. "We're on our pokemon journey. Together."

"Well you're going to have to come with me."

Garnet tensed. "Where?"

"Back to Seesea City. We have some questions to ask you."

"We can't go back yet!" Steven gasped. "We didn't find Lapis yet!"

" _Lapis?_ "

The way the officer growled the name made Garnet instinctively square up, putting an arm in front of the kids protectively. "We're not going with you."

"Listen. We can do this the hard way or the easy way. If you resist, I will arrest you for kidnapping."

"Garnet didn't kidnap us!" Steven exclaimed.

"Steven, Connie, get in the tall grass. Now."

"But-"

"Now." Garnet backed toward the edge of the clearing after them.

Officer Pitafi sensed her intentions. Hastily, she barked "Buff!" The arcanine, which had been sitting, rose to its feet. In one leap, it was upon her.

There wasn't enough room, but she tossed Tiny's pokeball on the ground in front of her anyway. As the pokemon expanded, she was thrown back. She landed in the grass just beside Steven. It knocked the breath out of her before she could utter an attack.

"Crunch!" The arcanine was fast. Tiny only had a chance to raise an arm in defense. Teeth closed around its gauntlet. Spiderweb cracks formed. He jerked his head back and forth, but Tiny stood firm against his attempt to tear it apart.

"Drain punch, Tiny." The golurk drew back its free fist. White light flickered around it as it struck the arcanine point blank. To Garnet's relief, she saw the cracks in Tiny's body mend.

The fire type was thrown; it was a critical hit. However, he climbed to his feet and shook his head, a thin line of blood running out of his nostrils. "Outrage!" The pokemon responded all too quickly to the command. His eyes glowed red, and heat rolled off of him in waves. He dove at Tiny furiously, and the golurk was too slow to escape.

"Drain punch," Garnet repeated. As soon as Tiny rose its fist, the arcanine grabbed a hold with its teeth and battered the pokemon with its front paws. She had to find an opening in the pokemon's assault, but the outrage was relentless.

"We need to help!" Steven gasped. Little Bud chirped and began forward.

She swiftly got up and blocked the pokemon with her foot. "Stay back." These little pokemon would be utterly destroyed by the rampaging canine. "Heavy slam."

Tiny rose its hand, open palmed. As before, the arcanine leapt up to bite and interrupt an attack. When his jaws closed around its stony hand, it closed its fingers. The furry pokemon yowled, caught by the nose. He could only flail as Tiny's other hand gripped his neck. Thunderous noise rumbled from within her pokemon, and flames shot from beneath it. It lifted into the air, at least ten feet, hugged arcanine to it and dropping all of its weight onto the pokemon. It slowly rose, unscathed from the drop.

The arcanine was less lucky. Officer Pitafi let out a frustrated cry as her arcanine was crushed beneath Tiny's weight. The pokemon laid on the ground, gasping to refill his lungs. Before he had even drawn a complete breath, he was struggling to his feet again.

She had to finish this. If she could just beat them, they would be intimidated enough to leave Steven and Connie alone. "Earthquake."

Tiny spread its arms, and the energy within it glowed. Beneath them the ground rumbled violently. Steven lost his balance and fell to his knees, but the worst of the tremors were concentrated in one place.

The ground split and shook under the struggling arcanine; one second, pillars were thrust upward and the next they crumbled to dust. Dry dirt and violently shredded clumps of grass billowed into the air. Before it could settle, she returned Tiny to its pokeball. "Go. Now." She shoved Steven and Connie through the tall grass. Their pokemon followed close behind, all unsettled or fearful.

The kids were squinting against the dirtied air. Connie buried her face in her arm to cough. She stumbled, and Garnet scooped her up so she wouldn't get left behind. Before long their makeshift battlefield was out of sight. Instead of returning to the walking path, she kept it in sight. The grass offered them more coverage.

"Who was that?" Steven choked. He was completely shaken up by the encounter. "Why did she want to take us!?"

"That was a police officer!" the little girl sounded completely shocked. "You fought a police officer!"

"I don't know." Garnet answered Steven matter-of-factly. Her heart was pounding hard. She forced her voice to sound calm. "I didn't want to fight her, but I can't let her take you." The certainty with which she spoke was startling even to her. "I _won't_ let them take you."

* * *

Peridot could not possibly have fallen asleep on the hard ground. It was so uncomfortable, so awful. However, she found herself waking up on it. She ached all over. _Did I really manage to doze off?_ The sun was high enough in the sky for it to be noon. Her face had the uncomfortable sting of a sunburn. How could she have done more than doze off? She must have been sleeping in the sun for hours. Jasper was gone. "She couldn't have woken me up before leaving?" she whined, pushing herself upright.

"I'm back."

Peridot jumped in surprise. She spun around to see Jasper stomping through the grass. The look on her face was completely sour.

"Where are the kids? What happened?"

She couldn't help but sink a little under the weight of Jasper's scowl. "This is more complicated than you made it sound."

"Wha... What do you mean?"

"They're not alone. There's some teen delinquent watching out for them."

"Who?" she demanded, getting to her feet.

"I don't know!" she snapped. "She has a golurk. It knocked out Buff Puff and it could have kept fighting."

"You should have let me talk to them! Now we have no way of tracking them, no transportation..." Her voice rose in pitch at the idea of being trapped out here. _Anyone could have taken this mission. Why did I come with her? I'm not trained for something like this yet!_

"Listen, Peridot." Jasper grabbed her roughly by the uniform. She pulled her forward, forced her to look her in the eyes. "They have to be going to Firnapier. We'll heal Buff there. Relax." With a shove, she released her.

Having to steady herself physically helped her steady herself mentally. Jasper was right. This was not a lost cause. "Okay," she breathed. "Okay. Did you get a picture of this teenager? We could put out a warning."

"No, I didn't have the chance." She added in a mutter "Even if I did I doubt I could have gotten one." The woman pulled her tablet out and regarded her faulty pokemon anxiously.

Peridot let out a long sigh and held out her hand. "Let me see if I can do anymore to fix it."

Jasper looked down at her outstretched hand dubiously. "...Fine."

As the pair made their way down the route, Peridot found her efforts to fix anything in Jasper's software frustrated. Though it seemed preposterous, she felt that there was no other conclusion; the buggy porygon was intentionally thwarting her at every turn. She slogged through lines of code searching for whatever virus must be the cause of its behavior, but there was no reason it should be acting in such a way. All the while, its avatar lurked at the edges of the screen, observing her.

Jasper was far too unhappy for her to think of bringing this up to her yet. Instead, she took out her own tablet. She pulled up the search bar and entered the name of the faulty porygon's source file. To her surprise, there were many results: warnings from Silph Co. to avoid the program as a viral scam, forums committed to unraveling its strange bugs, and blogs about its mysterious origin, just to name a few. Jasper's was not an independent case. The creature had even been documented in the national pokedex under the name 'Porygon Z.' Some solutions were suggested, but there was, as she had expected, no way to return it to a fully functioning form. After successfully enacting a few of the more minor fixes, she gained the confidence to attempt one that seemed more risky: initiating contact between Porygon Z and any of its predecessors.

She hesitantly switched on Watan's free communication mode. When she balanced the tablet at the crook of her arm and went to activate the same setting on Jasper's tablet, she found that it was already on. She carefully held the two devices side by side, curious to see exactly what would happen. The first thing to appear was a wall of text on Jasper's screen. It kept appearing, layering over and over until unreadable.

"Watan, decript."

Conversation private. Loading privileges.

A small buffering symbol appeared on her own screen. Peridot felt a tinge of quiet terror that Watan was somehow being corrupted, but another message popped up before she could worry too much.

Vouching... Identity verified. Privilege level: 7.7.

"Watan, decript," She repeated.

Conversation private. Insufficient privilege.

"What is the necessary privilege level to decript?" she grumbled.

Privilege level: 83.

She pinched the bridge of her nose. "What privilege level does Jasper Pitafi have?"

Privilege level: [err:alt60]3.

"...What? What does that mean?"

"What are you doing to it?" Jasper fell back a few steps to look at her progress.

She shook her head. "I don't know. This doesn't make sense! I fixed a few more things but now it's just..." she trailed off, huffing irritably. "I don't know."

"Give it to me," she demanded, snatching the device. Peridot saw Jasper's porygon peek out of the edge of the screen, and then its avatar centered like it was supposed to do when in use.

The woman's eyes examined it critically, her lips pressed in a thin line. She opened and closed several programs. "...This is better. I can work with this." An audio began to play from the device, but it was quickly muffled as she returned it to its pouch. She turned and picked up a brisk pace again.

"You're welcome," she mumbled to herself and hurried after her. Minutes passed quietly between them. She tugged at the collar of her uniform. To her displeasure, she was beginning to sweat. "Geez..." she breathed. "Is it getting hot to you?" Jasper looked back at her, looking like she was about to rebuke her for whining. Something she saw stopped her in her tracks. Peridot stopped as well, suddenly fearful to turn. Hot breath hit the back of her neck. With a whimper, she pinched her eyes shut.

 _Sniff... Sniff..._

When the sniffing stopped, she opened her eyes. Slowly, she turned her head. In near silence, a pokemon walked past her: a large pyroar. It moved with purpose down the road. She exchanged a look with Jasper, trying to properly display her confusion. The other officer had no answers. They waited until it was a dot in the distance before they continued toward the city in the same direction.

* * *

"You're not leaving this to that animal, are you?" She was aghast. "Surely we can send out our teams. Between Opal, Alexandrite, and-"

"Pearl, please." Rose laid a hand on her shoulder. "We're too close to our goal to take much attention from it now. Besides," She took a deep breath. "If we suddenly change our behavior, people are going to notice. I don't want to bring any extra attention to Steven, as long as he is still on his own."

Pressing her lips into a firm line, Pearl clenched her hands at her sides. _She's right. We can't afford to be distracted now._ Still, an overwhelming guilt permeated her very being. She had implemented the necessary measures in Seesea City, but she had failed to give the preamble. A mistake like that needed reparation. Focusing on this project and nothing else simply did not seem like enough, especially when all she could do now was wait.

"Do you understand, Pearl? More than anything, I need you close now."

Pearl dipped her head. "I won't go after him," she promised.

Rose's nod was hesitant but trusting. "...Thank you," she murmured. She wrapped her arms around her. Though the action caught her by surprise, she immediately hugged back. Steven was alive, and that was a relief, but this discovery could not have come at a more delicate time. It had to be difficult for Rose.

When Rose's arms dropped from around her, she waited just a moment before letting go. "I won't let you down," she murmured. Perhaps it was too quiet for Rose to even hear. Louder, she added, "Please call if you need me." Rose nodded, and Pearl turned to leave.

…

Every face was familiar. Each head nodded respectfully as she passed. Beach City was a pleasant place, save for the subtle auguring in each and every pair of eyes. These were people who loved and trusted Rose and Team Crystal, but they could not know for sure what would happen. The look was one of cautious anticipation.

Pearl smiled and nodded politely at these people, but she did not pause to converse. She had a mission of her own. The house came into sight, its garden beautifully overgrown. Vines crept over its exterior, carefully lining the windows with intricate patterns; they refused to block out the light. There was clearly an art to it. She expected that there was a pokemon on the grounds keeping it in shape.

When she drew near, her suspicions were confirmed; a shape so ingrained in the plants that she would not have seen her if she tried rose out of the flowers and stems. " _Serrrade?_ "

She tiptoed across the lawn toward the front door, careful not to crush any of the flora. The pokemon was standing in a wreath of blooms around the door. Her body phased into the plant life seamlessly. "Good morning, Budly," Pearl cooed.

The roserade eyed her, the meaning of her expression nebulous. " _Ro..._ "

"Do you mind if I come in?"

After a moment, she dipped her head. Budly moved out of the way with the listless grace of vines crawling. As if it were the train of a dress, the wreath over the door followed after her.

Pearl stepped over the trailing creepers and their entangled blooms. Pushing the door open, she called "Lapis Lazuli! Come here immediately!" The woman stepped slowly down the stairs. She almost looked hopeful to see Pearl. Not that there was a smile on her face; there was something in the way her eyes widened at the sight of another human being. A fraction of a facial twitch, if anything. That cell of an expression almost explained Rose's punishment of leaving Lapis alone here, but it quickly faded. Lapis stared at her silently, so she went on. "You are going to tell me everything you know about Steven."

To her surprise, she narrowed her eyes defiantly. Pearl had guessed that this would be easy. From the moment she had seen her in Seesea city, she had seemed so feeble. "You haven't found him yet." There as a hint of disbelief in her voice and it made Pearl feel defensive.

"That does not concern you," she admonished. "What does is his past, because you stole it from him."

An angry red tint entered her face. She turned to walk up the stairs and leave Peral behind, but Pearl reached out and snatched her wrist.

As Lapis tried to pull her arm free, her grip tightened. "I am not giving you a choice, Miss Lazuli," she enunciated. "You _will_ tell me everything."

Her hold on the woman brought out the fearful reverence she had expected. Still, her words were bitter. "What do you think I can tell you?"

She led her by the arm to the kitchen table. Lapis was reluctant to sit and that was exactly why she commanded her to do so. Perhaps Rose was forgiving. Pearl would not be. She walked around the chair, examining her. Lapis looked straight forward, her expression hardening. "When you took him, where did you go?"

"That doesn't really matter," she answered. She looked up at Pearl as she stopped at the other side of the table. "He can't go back to my home. That train of thought is a waste of time."

"Then where _would_ he go? Who else knows about him? It can't be just you."

Squaring her shoulders, she met Pearl's eyes bravely. "I was all he had."

If she had not been observing her closely, she would not have notice the coarseness of her voice, the way it was not quite as confident as it tried to be. "Who else?" she hissed.

"He didn't make friends," she insisted. Her voice sounded tired. "I didn't let him."

"What kind of life did he live with you?" She asked before she had the chance to screen the thought. It was a valid question, though, and she let it hang in the air.

"... He was happy."

Pearl squeezed the bridge of her nose in frustration. She voiced her guess, making it sound certain. "We _know_ he is not alone. With whom is he staying?"

She bit her lip. "You... you really don't remember anything about Steven or his friends at all, do you?"

In disbelief, she stared back at her. _What does she expect? How could I know anything about him?_ She could feel her anger growing. She slapped her palms on the table. "Well maybe if you _told me_ something-!"

"I mean from before," she interrupted, "Before all of this, before everything." She gripped the tablecloth. "Don't you remember who we used to be? Who _you_ even used to be? Any of us?"

She narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about? What does this have to do with Steven?"

"Please," her tone was pleading. "Try to remember. Then maybe history won't repeat itself." Pearl was about to demand more, to ignore the unsettled feeling in her stomach, but then Lapis added "And you could find Steven."

She clenched her jaw shut. Something about this conversation was making her feel sick. "Fine, Miss Lazuli. Keep talking nonsense. The next time we speak you better have something helpful to say." She slammed the door behind her as she left. When she stepped onto the grass, she stopped. Placing a hand over her heart felt it beating hard.

* * *

Hello, this is loafingdragon.

With it being the last update of the year, I wanted to thank those who are reading and those who have left comments, faved, and followed. I really appreciate being welcomed into the community this way. You might have noticed that I usually update every Saturday except those after holidays. I am hoping to continue with this trend in 2016. Happy Holidays! Happy New Years!

I've made up a quick map of the region mimicking the style of the maps in the pokemon games. If you are interest, you can view it at the following address. Just replace the parentheses with periods: i-likes-gaara-pie(deviantart)com/art/Quartz-region-Map-Part-1-580313907

I also thought, especially since some are not formally introduced, it might be helpful to list major characters and their current, known pokemon teams. In order of character appearance:

 **Lapis Lazuli**

 **Steven Lazuli**

-Little Bud the Budew (male)

-Munchy the Skiddo (male)

-Pumpkaboo the Pumpkaboo (female)

 **Connie Maheswaran**

-Archimicarus the Scyther (male)

 **Lion** the Pyroar (male)

 **Peridot Arafa**

-Watan the Porygon2

 **Pearl Adams**

-Florges (white)

-Cherrim

 **Jasper Pitafi**

-Buff Puff the Arcanine (male)

-A3 the Porygon-Z

 **Garnet Dimitriou-Thein**

-Tyrone the Tyrunt (male)

-Chip the Amaura (male)

-Tiny the Golurk

-Chandelure (female)

 **Ruby Dimitriou-Thein**

 **Sapphire Dimitriou-Thein**

-Sableye (female)

 **Rose Universe**

Budly the Roserade (female)


	10. Chapter 10

Steven gripped Garnet's hand as he saw buildings come into sight. He still had not seen Pumpkaboo. Garnet had not stopped since they had left the officer behind. Not long had passed, but Little Bud's tiny legs could hardly move fast enough to keep up.

"Garnet," Connie finally said. "I can walk."

She stopped and set his friend down. Running a hand through her hair, she said "When we get to Firnapier, don't run off. We find Lapis and we get out."

"What about Pumpkaboo?" Steven murmured.

"We had a deal," Connie piped. "I need five badges so I can get her an ultra ball, but she's not even here."

Garnet looked down at them and crossed her arms. "We can't look around long."

"Okay guys, hurry!" Steven called out. His pokemon split up and trod through the grass. He and Connie followed suit. As he combed through the grass he kept Garnet in sight. Still, it seemed like so much space, he didn't know where to start.

Relief flooded through Steven when he heard Connie announce that she was found. "Here she is, but um..."

"What's wrong?"

Garnet had reached her first, but she said nothing except for a quiet "hm..."

"What is it?" Steven demanded, tromping toward them through the grass. He stopped when he saw resting between Pumpkaboo's ears, and held firm by her curl, a dull green egg. The edges of his lips started to hurt before he realized he was grinning. "Pumpkaboo's going to be a mom!"

"I... I guess," Connie responded.

"Pokemon come from eggs, right? So that's what it is?" He looked up at Garnet.

After a moment, she nodded. She reached out for the egg only for Pumpkaboo to flutter her winglike appendages and make a deep, threatening rumble that resonated from her round body instead of her mouth. Garnet drew her arm back. "Let's go." She quickly turned back toward the city. Steven, Connie, and their teams followed after her.

…

Firnapier, while at most half the size of Seesea, seemed just as populous. Garnet took their hands and Steven was careful to keep all of his pokemon in sight. A large, wooden building welcomed them into the city. It had a wide lounge full of people, and the walls were lined with storefronts. As the walked through it, Steven found himself thinking that this must be a giant log cabin. _I bet every building in Firnapier Town is a log cabin,_ he thought, astounded. The buildings he had seen as they approached were not even wooden though. Seeing them through the windows reminded him of this fact, and he was a little disappointed. _What is this building for, then?_ He wondered. Garnet seemed confident as she strode through it; her eyes were fixed on a single destination: the red awning of a pokemon center. They stepped into a short line. _Why do they need an awning if we're inside?_ Steven wondered, but just as he was about to voice the question Garnet reached the front desk.

She dropped his hand and took Tiny's pokeball off her belt. "Here," she said, placing it on the table. "We were in a battle."

"Oh, alright," a nurse said, a bit caught off guard by her directness. "I'll heal it right up. Just a moment please..." He brought it back to a large machine that looked almost like an oven to Steven, placed it on a tray, and set it inside.

As they waited, Garnet stepped aside for the next person and leaned against the counter. She picked up one of the pamphlets resting on it and examined it. "This is the main entrance to the city. If they came from Seesea, they probably passed through here."

"So we'll ask around in here." He spun to head off into the crowd, but found that he was not moving at all. He glanced down and saw his legs swinging.

"We need to stay together." She set him back down. "There are plenty of people to ask in the pokemon center."

Connie peeked over the counter at the nurse. For now, the line of people seemed to have stopped. Everyone was waiting for their pokemon to be returned. "Excuse me," she peeped.

"Yes?" He glanced down at her and smiled.

"We're-" she glanced back at Steven and he gave her a reassuring thumbs up. "We're looking for our friend."

"Oh? What do they look like?" He asked, his expression shifting to one of concern.

"Well, she has short hair like this," Steven motioned with his hands to indicate how her hair swooped forward. "And she was wearing a light blue dress- even lighter than this one," he patted Connie's shoulder. "Her name is Lapis and Team Crystal took her."

His eyes widened and he leaned forward. "The woman Team Crystal kidnapped in Seesea City?"

"Y... yeah," Steven answered. Of all the ways he had imagined Lapis being recognized, he never thought that would be one of them; it was, true, though. Acknowledging it made him feel a burning worry in his chest.

"I didn't realize she had friends. The way they talk about it on the news-" He seemed to realize that what he was saying had upset Steven. He drew back a little. "I'm sorry, I haven't seen her personally. The last time Team Crystal were... making a big presence of themselves here was... gosh, probably over a year ago. You kids shouldn't be going after people like that."

He and Connie exchanged a look. "What are they like?" she managed to formulate a question first.

He frowned and looked up and past the kids, perhaps looking for an excuse to break off the conversation. "I... I don't know. It depends who you ask. They say they're going around to help pokemon and the world. When they came here, they destroyed the zoo and all the pokemon that were there are gone now... The stuff they said about it didn't make much sense to me." Steven thought he would continue, but a short tune came from the machine and he looked relieved to answer it. He came back moments later with his arms full of pokeballs. He set Tiny's in Garnet's hand and gave the others to their waiting trainers.

"But," Steven spoke up, "We _have_ to find them. They have my friend."

"I'm sorry, kids. I don't know. Maybe talk to the gym leader, Tourmaline."

He reached for a pamphlet for them, but Garnet held up the one in her hand. "Thanks."

"No problem," he answered.

A small convenience store was just beside the center. As she led the way to it, she placed the pamphlet in Connie's hands.

Steven leaned over her shoulder as she read. "Tourmaline's a grass type gym leader?"

"That means Archimicarus will have an advantage. Isn't that good to hear?" At the sound of his name, Archimicarus leaned on Connie's shoulder. She patted his head.

"Do you think I'll do any better this time?" he asked tentatively.

She nodded energetically. "Yeah! You've been with your pokemon a lot longer now."

"Here, Steven." Garnet placed a charger in his hand. "For the phone." He was even more excited when she handed him a plastic-wrapped sandwich.

"Thanks," he glanced around and located a bench. He plugged in the phone at its nearby charging station and waited patiently for it to turn on. Though Connie sat down beside him to share their meal, he noticed that Garnet remained standing and alert. "...Do you think those people are going to come after us?"

"... Probably."

He swallowed nervously. "So we have to hurry and get the gym badge, don't we? And find out where they took Lapis, too."

She nodded. There was a buzz from her jacket. She pulled out her phone, checked the name, and put it back in her pocket.

"Who was that?" Connie asked.

"My mom."

"You're not going to answer her?"

Garnet crossed her arms and looked away. "Nope."

The bit of silence that followed made Steven uneasy, so he checked the phone again. "Hey, it's starting up... It looks like we got a lot of calls."

Connie's face paled. "Here, let me see." She took the phone from him and it beeped in objection as she tugged it off the charger. He frowned as she tapped repeatedly on the screen. _Delete, delete, delete..._

"Who were those from?" Steven peeped.

Her tone was dejected. "My parents. They _might_ be a little mad that I left home." She glanced up at Garnet. "I'll just... let them calm down before I call back." She handed the phone back to Steven.

He held it in his hand as if it were fragile. All the calls were gone, and something about that felt wrong. He glanced from Garnet to Connie. Finally, he turned his attention to the dialing Sadie. Connie had to help him understand exactly how to use the phone, but he finally got a hold of her.

" _Connie? Steven? Hey!"_

"Yeah it's us!" he answered, voice thick with relief.

" _You're not in trouble, are you?_ "

"No! I mean... I don't think so. There was a police officer after us, but we got away. We just got to Firnapier Town. We made a new friend and she's really strong. Her name's Garnet, here!" He held the phone up to Garnet, who put up her hands as if in defense, but it was too late. He pushed it into her hand.

Holding it up to her ear, she kept her straight face as she said "Howdy." Steven couldn't hear Sadie talking, but Garnet nodded a few times before actually responding "Yes." She stood a little straighter and Steven got the impression that whatever was being said was very important. "Mm," she acknowledged, nodding again. "Thanks." She handed the phone back to Steven.

"Uh, what was that all about? It looked really serious," he questioned.

" _Don't worry, Steven. I looked up a little about Team Crystal. That's all. I was just thinking... This might be a really big deal. If the police are trying to get to you, maybe you should just trust them to find Lapis?_ "

"I don't know if that's what they really want to do. It's... it's my fault she got taken." He swallowed to keep his voice from cracking. "So I have to find her."

" _Well... Listen. Be careful, Steven. I don't want you guys to get hurt._ "

"We'll be super careful." The phone beeped and he reached for the chord to plug it in. "Connie and me are getting a lot stronger, and making new friends, and I'm sure we can do it."

" _Alright... Can I talk to Connie?_ "

He handed the phone over to her. From what he could gather, they talked about their pokemon for the most part. Finally, "Alright... Bye Sadie."

"Bye Sadie," Steven leaned over to speak into the phone.

Her voice came through quiet. " _Bye Connie, Bye Steven. Stay safe._ " There was a click as she hung up. He set the phone down and they waited for it to charge.

Garnet plucked it off the charger when it had reached about fifty percent, entered its number into her own phone, and handed it to them. "Let's go find that gym. We have to keep moving."

…

Steven quickly found that though Firnapier had towering structures of steel like Seesea, the neatest buildings were the old wooden ones; Firnapier Town Gym looked almost as if it had been grown out of the ground. Twisting pillars of tree trunks supported its glass ceiling. Over the glass grew a leafy canopy. Shadows dappled their skin as they stepped through the front doors. It looked like an indoor forest.

He stared up at the leaves. Eyes up, he hardly even noticed when he bumped into another trainer.

The other trainer flinched. "H-hey!"

"Oh, sorry!" Steven pipped, looking down from the ceiling. "Are you going to get your gym badge?"

"Huh? Oh. Yeah, I hope." He ran a hand through his short blond hair nervously. "I should. I just..."

"Are you nervous?" Connie asked.

He gulped. "Yeah."

"Maybe we can practice together!" Steven suggested, stretching out his arms.

"You- you think that would be okay?" He looked down at the pokeball gripped tightly in his hand.

Steven glanced up at Garnet and saw her watching through the front window. "We could use one pokemon each. It'd just be for practice."

Looking at their gathered pokemon, he slowly nodded. "I'm Peedee, by the way. This is the first gym I've ever really challenged."

"I'm Steven and it's my second," Steven said excitedly. "I didn't get a badge last time, but I know I can do it this time."

Peedee shot a nervous smile his way. "Well... yeah, if you trained hard enough. I should be able to do this no problem..."

"For our practice battle, I'll use... Pumpkaboo?"

" _Puu,_ " she objected, flicking a leaf at him.

He blew the leaf away as it drifted toward him. "Well, maybe not her right now. She does have that egg, I guess. Little Bud?"

The budew hopped off Munchy's back and gave a small, affirmative chirp. As Steven and Peedee looked for a good place to battle, Connie settled down to watch. Garnet leaned against a tree, still keeping an eye on the door. They found a small clearing nearby, where the sun shined through the canopy.

Little Bud untwirled his arms in the sun, showing off his pale pink and baby blue buds. Almost immediately, Steven's eyes began to itch, but he did his best to ignore them. A flash of red light revealed Peedee's pokemon. Steven smiled widely. "It looks like ice cream!"

"That's a vanillite," Connie informed him. "It's an ice type."

"Yeah, my dad gave it to me." His voice came out uncertain, like he was embarrassed.

"That's so cool!" Steven grinned. "Why don't you go first?"

"Really?" That seemed to cheer him up. "Okay, Slushpuppy. Use harden." A gleaming coat of thicker ice grew over the ice cream pokemon.

"Little Bud, let's try stun spore!" He rushed forward, a dusty trail following after him, and shot a pale yellow cloud at Slushpuppy. The spores caught the sunlight and twinkled briefly as they billowed forward.

"Icy wind!" Peedee yelled out. The vanillite opened its mouth a blew a gust of freezing air.

Steven covered his face as the spores were flung back in his direction. Through a handful of sneezes and stinging eyes, he managed to make out Little Bud avoiding the chilly attack. "G-good job. Use absorb, now."

"Don't let it attack!" Peedee squeaked. "Use icicle spear!"

Slushpuppy was too slow. It let out a noise of discomfort and retreated slightly as several orbs of light were pulled from its body. They floated over to Little Bud. In retaliation, it froze several icicles in the air. Flinging them one after another saw most of them missing. The budew weaved between them with surprising grace, but one hit him straight on, and it hit hard. Steven cringed as Little Bud was thrown back at his feet. "Are you okay?" Steven murmured, kneeling.

Little Bud climbed back to his feet. " _Dew!_ " The noise managed to sound bitter.

"O... Okay," Steven whimpered. "Do you want to keep fighting?"

Little Bud stepped forward onto the field. He looked determined as he faced Peedee's vanillite.

"Right! Try absorb again."

Little Bud bounced forward, but before he could attack Peedee called out "Use astonish, Slushpuppy!"

Steven watched his budew start as Slushpuppy flew forward to meet him, letting out a scream.

"Great job! Now icy wind!" The attack hit Little Bud point blank. He stood there, looking completely frigid for a moment. Slushpuppy gave him a small, experimental tap and he flopped backward shivering.

Steven sniffled as he stepped forward and picked up Little Bud. "Good try, buddy." Cradling his budew, he looked back at Peedee with a polite smile. "You're really good."

He looked surprised that he had won, but slowly smiled back. "Thanks. My dad taught me. He's the gym leader in Lucrene."

Steven wiped his nose on his sleeve. "No wonder, then."

"Yeah," he laughed nervously. "He's a lot to live up to."

Connie rose to her feet. "You guys did a lot better than you did in your last battle, too, Steven."

"Thanks, Connie."

"Do you mind if I battle the gym leader first?" Connie asked, approaching the two. "We... we're kind of in a hurry." She glanced back to Garnet.

Steven noticed the older girl's head turn just a little. She had watched his battle. He smiled a bit more. Her gaze seemed to return to the door, but she nodded in acknowledgment.

"Sure," Peedee agreed. "It couldn't hurt to watch a battle with a gym leader."

…

The gym grew darker the further they went. Sunlight only shined through the leaves in little slivers. Though Steven could not find the source, he could hear water dripping rhythmically. Little Bud stopped making spores in the shade, and the effects of Steven's allergies slowly lifted. Drowsiness was creeping up on him, though. He felt Garnet's hand on his shoulder, steadying him. His foot had nearly caught on a root.

The grass and ferns of the floor gave way to moss. The trees were more sparser, but their limbs were longer and still blocked the sun. Large mushrooms grew beneath the canopy. At the end of the clearing, a middle aged woman knelt watering the roots. She glanced up.

"Are... are you Tourmaline?" Connie asked quietly.

"Yes. You must be challengers." She stood and brushed off her pants. "We can battle here. I will use three pokemon."

Connie nodded. "I-I'm Connie and I only have one pokemon, but Archimicarus is really strong." Her confidence seemed to increase as she spoke.

" _Scy!_ " Archimicarus agreed, buzzing its wings and stepping forward.

"Very well. Paris," she called her pokemon. Steven started as on of the larger mushroom wiggled. It crawled over to Tourmaline's side and stared at their group silently. Orange claws slid out of its mushroom cap, robotic and slow. "Let's begin."

"Archimicarus, vacuum wave!" The scyther leapt forward, a green blur. From beside the parasect, it shot out a blast, aiming for the lower body of the pokemon.

Initially, Steven was confused. Archimicarus always seemed much more comfortable using his scythes and striking the opponent. When a small cloud of spores shot out from the pokemon, he understood. The spores hung in the air, and Archimicarus bounced back to avoid them.

Tourmaline was not so willing to let it go. "Spore, Paris."

The pokemon's mushroom cap twitched and the spores went flying in ever direction. Steven covered his eyes and nose. They itched horribly, and he felt dizzy. When he looked around, he could not tell if he was swaying, or if everyone else was. Garnet's hand steadied him. His eyes slowly focused on the field. Archimicarus was lying in the moss.

"Archimicarus!" Connie peeped. The pokemon twitched at the sound of his name, but did not stir from his sleep.

"Cross poison, Paris." Paris crept over without an ounce of urgency. It raised its large claws and dropped them down on Archimicarus's sleeping form like a guillotine. Steven could see the film of poison on its claws.

"Wake up!" Connie cried, becoming more anxious when the parasect brought down a second strike. Archimicarus stirred. He opened his eyes too late to dodge a third hit. Clearly hurting, the scyther sprang away. Heaving in breath and already looking shaky, Archimicarus squared up to fight.

Tourmaline's neutral expression turned to a frown. "I understand that you want this badge, but you're not strong enough yet. Your Archimicarus is poisoned. Soon he will faint. Take him to a pokemon center."

Connie's face fell in the same way that Steven's spirits did.

"She's right," Garnet said. "Come on, Connie, Steven..." She turned toward the door. "We'll be back."

"G-geez." Peedee peeped. "I'm sorry, guys."

"We'll be back," Steven echoed in an attempt to sound encouraging. "Good luck!"

Peedee nodded. "Good luck for you, too, I guess..."

Steven looked between Garnet as the gym leader. Connie hung her head as she turned to follow the older girl. "We still need to ask her!" he realized.

"Ask me what?" Tourmaline questioned. She crossed the clearing in wide steps. "What do you need to know?"

He looked up at her as she approached. She was taller than she had looked on the other side of the clearing. "My friend," he said, his voice hushed. Clearing his throat, he tried to speak up. "Team Crystal took her and... and we don't know how to find her."

Tourmaline's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. The amount of time that she was silent made him nervous. He could feel Garnet, Connie, and Peedee watching. Quietly, she answered "Come to my home after the gym closes today. We can talk, and if you're ready we can battle." She took out a small book, scribbled the address down on a page, tore it out, and placed it gingerly in Steven's hands.


	11. Chapter 11

Garnet took Steven and Connie's hands as they stepped out of the gym. She looked around for the officer, but something told her that they had a little time.

"Should we go back to the pokemon center?" Steven peeped. Glancing down, she met his wide eyes.

"There's one closer," Connie responded. "We can go to that one." Garnet nodded, relieved. The last thing she wanted to do was backtrack. Still holding her hand, the littler girl walked a half-step in front of her. She seemed able to navigate the streets with only little glances at maps and street signs, always knew when to cross the roads, and could easily weave their little group between strangers.

Steven was obviously stumbling through the crowd. She was careful as she tugged him along, working to keep him balanced on his feet. The task, coupled with actually keeping up with Connie herself, took all of her concentration. Silently, she envied the little girl _._ The only reason Garnet pushed through the pokemon center's door first was because her arms were longer. The children and their pokemon scampered inside and she let it close behind them.

Archimicarus was sagging. As he drew close to fainting, he rested his weight on Connie's shoulders. A nurse came from behind the counter when she saw them. Without a word, she helped them back to the exam room and began treating his poisoning. Garnet watched as Steven and Connie trailed after. They should be safe enough. She examined a small counter of items convenient for trainers beside the reception desk. As she went to step aside, her leg bumped Pumpkaboo. The pokemon seemed as interested in what was behind the glass counter as she did. Maybe it was a maternal instinct that drove Pumpkaboo to want an ultra ball. That theory didn't hold much water since she already had an egg, though. Dropping the train of though, Garnet bought a batch of pokeballs for the children. As she went to put them in her jacket, the cashier let out a small gasp. "What?"

He looked embarrassed. "That-that pokemon you have. It's my favorite color and it's a fire type, isn't it?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, confused. She did not have a fire type. Looking back in her coat, though, she found the chandelure. Holding up the pokeball, she answered "Yeah?" The pokeball expanded as she did, and the pokemon spun to look around.

"Oh my arceus," he breathed, leaning over it. "It's beautiful. You must be so proud."

Garnet shrugged. "Are you a trainer?"

"A coordinator." He tapped at the table sheepishly. "When I'm not here. There aren't usually many official contests in Firnapier Town." His eyes shined. "But there is one going on tonight. Are you here for the Lucidity Tournament preliminary? Going for a tough look? I was going to join, too, if I get there in time after work..."

She shook her head and he trailed off. His enthusiasm was a little overwhelming, and she was happy when he stopped. Before she could turn to leave, though, he continued.

"Anyway, I don't even know what pokemon to use, and if I won..." He laughed nervously. "You get a contest pass and tickets for a trip along the whole Lucidity Tournament Route. I don't know if I could... I mean I don't expect to win anyway." He ran a hand through his hair.

She nodded absentmindedly and glanced toward the exam room. Steven and Connie still had not returned.

"Uh," his face reddened. "I'm not that bad though."

She rolled chandelure's pokeball in her hand thoughtfully. A vague but familiar feeling that she was supposed to do something here rested on her shoulders. Finally, she spoke up. The words just rolled off her tongue on a whim. "Do you want to trade?"

His eyes widened. "Really?"

"What do you have?"

He glanced past her to check that no one was waiting, then looked conspiratorially toward the reception desk. No one was paying them any mind. He picked three pokeballs off his belt and set them down on the counter.

Expanding them revealed a loudred, a sableye, and a nincada. Garnet examined them thoughtfully. Connie was the one that needed more pokemon. Loudred would probably be too much for her to handle and, though Garnet knew that it was her own nostalgia affecting her reasoning, she shied away from the sableye. She picked up nincada's pokeball.

The cashier gratefully received the chandelure. "Thank you! Her name's Spring. Take good care of her."

Garnet nodded. "That one is just Chandelure. Good luck." As she finished speaking, Steven grabbed her hand.

"Oh!" the cashier said quickly. "Here." Taking out a little baggie, he dug through it and handed her several candy cubes. "These are her favorites."

She nodded and put them in her coat pocket. Giving him a thumbs up, she turned to leave.

"Why was that guy giving you candy?" Steven pipped.

"It's not for me," she responded. "It's for Connie's new pokemon."

"Huh?"

Stopping beside the door, Garnet placed Spring's pokeball in Connie's hand. "These are for your other pokemon." She gave Connie the balls she had bought.

Connie looked at the nincada, her brow furrowed. "How did you...?"

"Her name's Spring. You can get to know her when we find somewhere to stay."

The little girl seemed to sense that was as much of an answer as she would receive. She shrunk down the pokeball and put it in the pocket of Sapphire's dress. She held out an empty ball to Archimicarus. "Looks like you two get to be pocket buddies."

The Scyther practically leapt at the pokeball. A tap with his blade saw him captured. Connie smiled at him and placed the ball with the other. She handed three of the empty pokeballs to Steven. Garnet saw him clam up. A twinge of regret hit the back of her mind. She wished she had explained better when he had asked her how they worked.

"I... I don't know..." he mumbled. He looked up to Garnet for guidance.

She scanned their surroundings as an excuse to look away. "You can wait. Let's find somewhere to train."

"A park?" Connie suggested.

"Mm," she considered. "Too open."

Garnet picked a direction and started walking as Connie examined the city pamphlet. "There's... Pompam Street. Usally it's used for parades, but there aren't any going on right now. We're going the right way."

She nodded to the smaller girl. "Pompam Street it is."

…

On Pompam street, vendors' booths lines the area one would expect to be a sidewalk, and the people moved with enthusiasm along the road. That in itself seemed enough like a parade to Garnet even if Connie had said there were not any events today. The bodies parted to form small battlefields every now and then. She held onto the children's hands a little tighter as she took the initiative to move through the crowd. "Keep an eye on your pokemon." As if in response, Munchy wedged himself between her and Steven.

"Hey!" Garnet stopped and turned toward the voice. A little boy, maybe seven or eight years old was bounding toward them. "Are you pokemon trainers?" As he stopped and bounced on his feet, a small, silver pokemon peeked over his shoulder from inside the hood of his shirt. It jingled loudly at the sight of them, but the boy did not seem to mind. "Let's battle!"

Garnet dropped Connie's hand and nudged her forward. "Get to know your new pokemon."

The little girl nodded and stepped forward. "Alright, Spring. Let's go." She pulled the pokeball from the pocket of Sapphire's dress and tossed it forward. The nincada bounded out onto the brick road. She bounced back and forth on the stones, glanced back at Connie, and let out a long chirp before facing her opponent.

The little kid had sent his klefki forward. He zealously piped up "Let's go! Teelee, use astonish!"

"Fury swipes, Spring!" As the pokemon collided, the klefki let out a loud shriek. Spring batted away its flailing keys with several fluid swings of her front claws.

"Garnet," Steven spoke up.

Realizing that his hand had left her grip, she peered down at him.

He was holding onto Munchy and petting the skiddo's fur soothingly. The initial clash must have startled the nervous pokemon. He settled down as the battle carried on."We can battle the next team, right?"

She nodded and opened her mouth to speak, but Connie's opponent interrupted.

"What? I'm not supposed to lose! Aww..." he whined. "This was going to be my supper money. Mom'll be mad..."

"You-you don't have to pay me then," Connie said sheepishly. "Not if you're going to get in trouble."

"Gee thanks," the kid chimed. He scooped up his klefki and bounced away before Connie could change her mind.

"Good job, Spring!" Connie praised her pokemon. Spring cooed in reply and sprang forward. Garnet saw the moment of opportunity pass to reign in the pokemon. She had thought Connie would move quickly enough to stop her, but Spring darted. "W-wait!" Connie called, too late to earn the pokemon's attention.

Garnet grabbed Connie's hand and pulled her forward. They were _not_ going to lose a pokemon in this crowd. The girls shouldered their way through the crowd. The time that had passed must have been short. Spring did not go far; she was clinging the side of a metal water fountain, jabbing her claws into the stream whenever someone pressed the button.

"Spring, you stop that right now!" Connie commanded, her usual tiny voice a confident shout. Spring's antennae twitched. "Come on! Get off of there!" Though she was still speaking loud enough to be heard, the little girl's voice softened now that she had Spring's attention. Dropping to the ground, Spring crawled through the people and stopped obediently in front of Connie. Connie crouched to be on her level. "I didn't want to yell at you, but you have to listen to me, okay. You can't run away like that." She extended a hand and gently patted the pokemon. "I'm trying to look out for you."

"Let's find a less crowded stretch," Garnet urged.

She nodded. "Yeah, Steven you can... Steven?"

Garnet spun around, but Steven was gone. Only Pumpkaboo had managed to stay with them. She clenched her jaw and tried to stop her heart from pounding so hard. _I'll find him._ "Connie." Her voice grabbed the girl's attention, so she was not startled when she took her hand. Connie returned Spring to her pokeball and let Garnet lead her through the crowd.

* * *

"Little Bud! Come back!" Steven huffed. He tried to keep track of the little grass type as he wove through the throng. Munchy's hooves clacked on the stone street beside him. He was beginning to tire when he saw what his pokemon was chasing.

A man was pushing a cart of flowers; he stopped as a young couple waved him down. Breathing hard, Steven slowed as he approached. Little Bud was staring up at the bouquets.

"What kind do you want?" The young man who had waved down the vendor asked, lightly nudging his significant other.

"You choose," they answered sheepishly. "You didn't have to stop the flower guy..."

"It's okay." The vendor put in. "I'm not in a hurry."

They smiled nervously. "But you were going somewhere?"

"Don't worry about it," the vendor urged. "What would you like?"

"Well, I..."

" _Buu!_ " Little Bud interrupted. " _Bubudew!_ "

The group glanced down, startled by the pokemon's outburst.

"Oh... Oh no. I'm sorry," Steven stepped in and picked up his pokemon. "He got away from me."

"No, it's okay." Smiling, they looked back to their boyfriend. "How about roses?"

He nodded and picked out a bouquet. "And one for our little friend, there."

Little Bud chirped in delight as the man tugged a red rose free and extended it toward him. Steven held the flower for him. "Thanks," he said for his pokemon, beaming. Little Bud was admiring the rose from where he was held in Steven's arms.

"You're welcome," he answered. "Stay smiling, kid."

The couple strolled down the street, leaving the vendor behind. Returning to pushing his cart, he whistled as he went.

Feeling lost, Steven followed after him. He flinched as Munchy poked his leg with his horns, but quickly took the hint. Riding on Munchy's back made moving through the streets easier, but even with the small boost in height, he could not see Garnet or Connie."Uh, sir?"

"Yes," the vendor answered pleasantly.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm bringing my stand to the stadium. Usually it's used for sports, but there's a pokemon contest going on today. You can see it just at the end of the road."

Steven craned his neck, but the people blocked his view.

"Are you going to be in the contest?"

The question caught him off guard. "I don't know... I've never been in a contest before."

"You aught to investigate, then. I'm guessing you're a trainer?"

"Yeah," Steven nodded vigorously, glad that it was so easy to tell.

"That's good. Builds character. Try a little of everything while you're young... Here we are."

The vendor had been keeping Steven's attention; looking up and finding such a large building in front of him made his mouth fall open.

He chuckled. "Looking forward to seeing you in the show, kid."

As the man rolled his cart away, a short tone pulled Steven out of his staring contest with the building. After a moment of confusion, he fished the phone out of the pocket of his borrowed shorts. Holding it to his ear, he answered "Uh... hello?"

"Steven," Steven was relieved to hear Garnet's voice. "Where are you?"

"I'm at the Stadium. Is Pumpkaboo with you?"

"Yes. Stay there. We're coming." The phone clicked.

Steven rocked on his feet as he stared up at the building again. Indecision gripped him. Would Garnet expect him to be right at the front door? _I didn't say where in the stadium I would be..._ Finally, he hopped off Munchy's back and pushed through the doors.

* * *

Garnet dropped Connie's hand as she approached the Stadium, and pushed the door open for them both. Once she was inside, she surveyed the crowded area with one smooth turn of her head. Just like that, she was off again, her long legs carrying her quickly enough that Connie had trouble keeping up. Her gait still seemed professional to Connie, though, and she kept a straight face. The little girl marveled at that much. If _her_ parents had lost track of her in a new place, they would be freaking out and probably preparing a lecture as they went. When Garnet had realized Steven was gone, it seemed like everything cleared up and the teen knew exactly what to do and where to go. Even before she had called Steven, she had been going in the right direction.

"Garnet! Connie!" Steven noticed them as they approached. A wide grin was planted on his face, and it only faltered for a moment when a hardy sneeze almost knocked him off his feet. Sniffling, he jogged across the shiny floor to meet them. Munchy followed after."Look what I taught Little Bud!" Little Bud was waddling after him, his buds outspread under the bright lights. A bright pink bow was tied around him, and there was swagger in his tiny steps. Steven lifted a stringed instrument, and was figuring out where to place his fingers on the strings when Garnet put up a hand.

"Steven," she interrupted. When he paused to look up at her, she went on "We're supposed to be training to battle Tourmaline."

His grip on the instrument loosened a little, and his smile wavered. For a moment, there was silence between them.

"What are you doing here?" Garnet finally asked, her voice even.

He rubbed at his running nose. "I entered Little Bud and me in a contest."

When she spoke again, the word came out slowly. "When?"

Steven pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket and held it out to her. She unfolded and examined it. As she did, Connie took the chance to slide past her and talk to Steven in a hushed voice. "When are you supposed to perform?"

"Six thirty," he answered. He was still looking up at Garnet, and Connie could tell that he was anxious as to hear her response.

"Did you plan a routine?"

"Yeah," he sniffed. "I thought it was really good. I learned a song and everything."

Connie looked up at Garnet and asked the question she knew Steven was too nervous to ask. "Are we going to be able to stay for the contest?"

She handed the paper back to Steven and turned away. Connie caught sight of it as he folded it up: an entry certificate with rules and performance times. "We'll see."

Steven exchanged a look with Connie, looking more optimistic than she thought the comment warranted. "Okay. Wait right here!" He scampered off to an information booth and spoke briefly with a woman at an information desk. Soon enough he returned, smiling again. "She said I can take the ukulele out for practice."

Garnet merely patted his head as she led them out of the building.

* * *

From the frequent pauses and long, loud sniffs Jasper's Arcanine was taking, Peridot guessed that tracking the children had suddenly become more difficult. Frequent glances at Jasper revealed that this was indeed abnormal. Stone faced, arms crossed, Jasper watched Buff snuffle at the street across from the pokemon gym. He pawed at the ground and let out and accusatory bark before backtracking. Eyeing the building with his ears flattened back, he barked again.

Jasper sighed and motioned for Peridot to come with her. They approached the gym. Though clearly displeased with the decision, the arcanine followed. The first person to approach seemed to be a trainer, but Jasper spoke before they could. "I need to talk to the gym leader," she declared in an authoritative tone. As the trainer turned to lead them, she motioned to Buff. Peridot gathered that it must be a 'search' command, as the pokemon hesitantly began sniffing through the indoor forest, keeping within sight.

They found Tourmaline tending to a vicious looking, overgrown bramble bush. The trainer quietly grabbed her attention, and pointed them out. Tourmaline frowned at the two officers. "Can I help you?" She responded curtly. Her eyes flickered to Jasper's arcanine as his orange form trampled through a mossy clearing.

"We're looking for a pair of missing children," Jasper explained. "A boy and a girl, around ten." She shot a pointed look at Peridot and Peridot hurried to pull up the picture on her tablet. "With an older girl."

Tourmaline's expression hardly changed when she looked at the picture. The gym leader squinted a little, as if the screen were smudged or the image blurry. She took her time to answer. "...They don't look familiar."

Jasper rose her chin and scoffed. Snatching Peridot's tablet, she thrust it forward. "Well look closer. My arcanine tracked them to this place."

Unperturbed, she looked at the picture again. She shook her head. "It would not be the first time my gym has confused a pokemon's sense of smell."

Her grip on Peridot's tablet tightened.

Peridot cleared her throat. "This is a significant investigation. These children might have a connection to Team Crystal. Do you understand the gravity of this situation?"

"Of course I do."

Peridot recoiled at her tone. In her haste to get answers, she had forgotten that gym leaders had authority: certainly more authority than she did. Tourmaline's words were a step beyond matter of fact- almost so well enunciated as to be condescending. Her natural drawl added to that feeling.

"I am doing everything in my power to help you. I cannot conjure information out of the air and expect it to be accurate."

"Thank you," Jasper responded, managing to sound convincingly sincere. "Buff!" she barked. When he didn't immediately come to her side, she looked around.

Peridot spotted him first, leaning over a large mushroom, drooling profusely. "Jasper," she squeaked as the arcanine began to twitch.

Tourmaline followed her gaze. "It looks likes your Buff managed to poison himself. You'll have to take him to the pokemon center." With that, she turned back to her bramble thicket.

Peridot could have sworn that she saw a vein bulge in Jasper's forehead as the older officer clenched her teeth together.

* * *

Though Steven managed to get a few battles in, Connie felt that she did a vast majority. In the background of her duels, she heard his strumming of the instrument grow more precise and more confident as the day passed. With the noise that Archimicarus, Spring, and the other battling pokemon made, she only heard snippets of the song he was singing, though. She did notice that Munchy and Pumpkaboo seemed at ease listening to Steven play and sing. Little Bud didn't just sway, bounce, and spin to the tune, but also chirped along. It sounded like he was really trying to sing.

She wanted to take some time to enjoy Steven and Little Bud's performance, but battling took more attention than she thought it would. Spring and Archimicarus practically raced to be on the battlefield when she found an opponent. If they jostled each other, wings buzzed and voices of the insects rose aggressively. Though an authoritative command always set them straight, Connie did not risk getting distracted.

"Connie," Garnet called as a trainer paid Connie for winning a battle. "Let's get ready to go."

"Right. Spring, Archimicarus, come on back." She held out their pokeballs.

Connie was surprised to see Spring jump forward first, but she was not aiming for the ball. She ricocheted off of Connie's chest, knocking the girl to the ground.

"Spring!" Connie piped in surprise. She pushed herself upright. "You can't-!"

" _Scyyyyy!_ " Letting out an angry screech, Archimicarus lunged at the nincada.

In a flash of light, Spring sprung straight up, avoiding the attack. A flap of her wings split the light encasing her; it all happened so fast that Connie could hardly process that she had evolved. Before Archimicarus had time to recover from his forward leap, Spring flapped her wings. A gust of wind whipped through Archimicarus. A few people stopped to watch the spectacle.

Connie put her hands over her ears to block out Spring's shrill cry and the buzzing of her wings. She opened her mouth to speak out, but Steven startled her into silence again when he pulled her to her feet.

"Are you okay?!" He yelled, forcing himself to be heard over Spring's continuous voice. His pokemon were watching the fight, with wide eyed. Little Bud seemed especially interested.

"I'm okay, Steven." She rose her voice, trying to get her pokemon's attention. "S-stop it! Stop fighting!"

Archimicarus paused at her command, but his obedience did not last. Spring dove at him, jabbing her shiny new claws at his carapace. Infuriated, he slashed at her with his blades. She was back in the sky above him. Her form seemed to waver before splitting into two, four, eight... The copies were dividing as quickly as Archimicarus was blasting them apart with vacuum wave. It was becoming increasingly apparent that he did not know how to deal with a pokemon faster than he was. He narrowly avoided another gust attack. The breeze of the attack blew over Steven and Connie. Connie shielded her eyes. Spring was still screaming. Though the noise drew people in, the rapid, inaccurate attacks quickly scattered anyone in the area. People ducked behind vendor's stands as Spring shot by overhead, followed by a barrage of vacuum waves.

Garnet was standing over her. Connie shrunk, her cheeks red. "She-she won't listen to me. I don't know what to do. I-!" She could feel tears welling in her eyes.

"Connie." Her interruption was firm. "Get a hold of yourself. You can control your pokemon."

 _What does she see in me that makes her think I can do this? There must be something..._ If Garnet was going to believe in her, though, she had to be able to do it. "Spring! Archimicarus!" Her voice rang out with authority she had lacked before; it grabbed their attention, at least. The two pokemon grew quiet. Feeling more confident, she continued. "Come here right now!"

Archimicarus stepped forward, looking ashamed. Spring hesitated, but seeing everyone facing her, with no one on her side, she moved forward.

Now that they were quiet, she lowered her voice below a yell. "I am really disappointed in you two. Spring." Her attention turned to the newly evolved ninjask. "I know I'm not your first trainer, but when we battle together, we do really well. I believe in us, and if you give me a chance, I promise I'll earn another badge to prove that you can believe in us, too." After a moment, Spring buzzed her wings once. Connie hoped this was affirmation enough. She turned to her scyther. "Archimicarus, maybe you were just trying to protect me, but it's not your job to tell my other pokemon what to do. Next time, leave it to me."

Archimicarus hung his head and nodded.

"I'm proud of the progress you've both made, but now save your energy. I want you to be on your best behavior when we battle Tourmaline." She held out the pokeballs. Archimicarus tapped his with his blade and was returned. Spring watched Archimicarus before looking back at Connie. Connie smiled back patiently. Finally, Spring tapped the pokeball with her claw and returned. Beaming, Connie tucked the pokeballs into her dress's pocket.

"That was great, Connie!" Steven exclaimed.

Garnet gently ruffled her hair. "Good job."


	12. Chapter 12

Tourmaline's home reminded Connie of the woman's gym; it was made of a dark wood and it smelled damp and natural, despite the fact that Connie could not find a water source. Steven sniffled and sneezed as Tourmaline began to lead them inside. Lights shaped like small oil lamps lit the small dining room that they settled in, leaving the corners shadowy. "A moment." She stepped through a doorway at the end of the room. They heard cups clinking softly and water boiling. _The kitchen_ , Connie thought. She was working out a mental map in her head. _But if her kitchen is in there... Where are we going to battle?_ In this area of the city, there wasn't any room for her to have a yard.

"Wow," Steven remarked as he rubbed his nose. "I thought gym leaders would have bigger houses."

"Steven!" Connie whispered, "That's rude."

"It's alright," Tourmaline murmured, returning with a tray. A steaming teapot and several cups and dishes sat on it. They all looked exceptionally plain.

Connie sheepishly took a small cup of liquid off the tray: tea, if the smell was any indication. "Thank you." She was relieved to find that honey was on the dish. As she mixed it into her drink, she noticed, however, that Tourmaline was drinking something different. When the gym leader placed it on the table, its smell wafted over that of the tea and became immediately recognizable: coffee. They sat together sipping their beverages for a few minutes.

"I've never heard of Team Crystal kidnapping a person," Tourmaline started.

Steven looked a little startled by her forwardness. "We... we haven't either. We don't know almost anything about Team Crystal. I don't know why they took her, or where they would go. I just..." He looked down at his cup. "I thought you could help."

"Her name is Lapis Lazuli," Connie offered. "Maybe you and the other gym leaders..." She trailed off as the woman slowly shook her head.

"Unless she is in Firnapier, I can't help you personally."

"Th-that's not true, is it?" Connie objected as she saw Steven's expression fall. "You have to be able to do something. We came all this way."

"Can you tell us anything about Team Crystal?" Garnet asked.

Tourmaline considered this before answering. "They've been destroying operations that thrive on the mistreatment of pokemon, but that is not their long term goal. They're going to do something soon with lasting effects. I cannot imagine how Miss Lazuli could be involved."

"How can we find them?" Garnet asked.

"... I've heard that they are searching for something in the ruins by Lucrene."

Steven and Connie exchanged a quick look. "We have to go there!"

She narrowed her eyes. "It could be dangerous."

"That's the other reason we're here." Connie stood from her seat. "I need to prove to you how strong we really are."

Tourmaline nodded as she rose to her feet. "Follow me."

They followed the gym leader through her kitchen. A doorway led them to a stairway that seemed to predate the house by decades.

"What is this place?" Steven asked as he helped Pumpkaboo maneuver the steps.

"Many cities were built on the graves of their predecessors."

Connie frowned as her shoes landed in soft, moist mud. The lighting down here was even dimmer than it was upstairs, and it did not only smell damp, but also fungal. The odor was much muskier than Tourmaline's gym, but Connie guessed that it had the same source. Her suspicions were proven correct when she began to stepped over a patch of moss and mushrooms, only to see one politely shuffle out of her way. A sneeze almost knocked Steven onto his rump in the mud, but Garnet caught him. At least there weren't any tree roots to trip over. Instead, old wooden pillars seemed to be randomly spaced in the wide underground.

"I have another pokemon this time," Connie announced. "And we've been training all day."

Tourmaline nodded. "Let's begin. Colmar." As before, a parasect crawled to stand before her.

Though her first instinct was to send out Archimicarus, Connie knew that he would be defenseless against the parasect's spores. Even worse, in the low light, Archimicarus would have difficulty seeing. "Alright, Spring. Let's go!" She tossed the pokeball forward.

" _Jask!"_ Spring cried out as she stretched her wings. She looked back at Connie and though her insect eyes could not show much emotion, Connie felt as if she were being scrutinized.

"Colmar, Stun Spore."

"Gust, Spring! Then follow through with fury swipes!"

The cloud of spores billowing from the parasect's mushroom cap were thrown back in Tourmaline's face by the gust attack; the wind scoured her pokemon. Spring whipped forward with a warrior cry, and jabbed her claws at its body.

"Fury cutter."

Connie tried to get out a warning, but Spring was struck hard. Colmar's claw hit her exoskeleton and threw her. The ninjask fell hard into the mud. Before she could pick herself up, Colmar ambled over and pinned her under one claw. Tourmaline's voice was monotonous against the moment of panic in Connie's mind. This was just like what had happened to Archimicarus during their first battle. Spring's wings buzzed furiously, but there was no way for her to get out. Her face was buried in the dirt. The parasect brought down another hard hitting fury cutter attack.

"Mud slap, Spring!" With Spring grounded, it was the best move Connie could think of. Her ninjask dug at the ground and lobbed chunks of the mud back at her attacker. Colmar paused, and slowly rose the claw it had been using to wipe its eyes. Connie looked for a way out as it slowly cleared its vision. Spring was moving down through the dirt, but Colmar's claw that was trapping her was not. _Why is that?_ A piece of information from a book came back to her; Tochukaso, the mushroom, was in control, not the bug. _No wonder it moves so slowly._ As long as it stayed distracted, Spring could get away. "Keep it up, Spring!"

"Fury Cutter, Colmar." Tourmaline commanded. Connie wasn't sure if she had guessed her plan or if she was just trying to get her pokemon back on track. The command came too late, though. Spring shot out of the parasect's grip, dodging its attack by a hair.

"Gust!" Spring shook her wings free of dirt and twirled to buffet the parasect with air. After this struggle, being hit point blank with a super effective attack was too much. Colmar dropped.

"One point for Connie." Tourmaline returned the pokemon to its ball. "Calais."

There was a quiet whistle and a long-nosed, wooden-looking pokemon appeared. _A nuzleaf_ , Connie remembered. The way its leaf whistled when it moved would make it easy for Archimicarus to track, but the longer Spring was on the field, the faster she could move. Spring also knew more bug-type moves than Archimicarus. Knowing that Tourmaline had another pokemon left after this, it was worth keeping her out.

"Alright, Spring! Use leech life!" Spring shot forward, voicing another enthusiastic screech.

"Fake out." Calais slapped her right out of the air. She bounced across the ground and laid motionless for a moment, stunned. "Now. Nature power." It raised its arm, eyes glowing. Small stones rose from the dirt and shot at her grounded ninjask; a strange power gem attack. Spring struggled to stand after the assault before fainting into the dirt.

"Oh no!" Connie hurried forward and picked up her tired companion. "I'm sorry, I thought..." She took a deep breath. "We're still going to win. I promise!" Returning Spring to her pokeball, she pulled out Archimicarus's. "Wing attack!" Archimicarus bounded forward, wings outstretched.

"Leaf blade!" The two pokemon struck and parried each other's attacks.

"Agility," Connie commanded. _If Archimicarus could only move fast enough to get a few good hits in..._ He was literally running circles around the nuzleaf, but it could still block his attacks. _Maybe at a distance, then._ "Vacuum wave!"

Archimicarus skipped back and shot the attack forward. Caught off guard by the special attack, Calais was hit squarely in the chest. It managed to stay on its feet.

"Extrasensory."

Her scyther was thrown suddenly by an invisible force. He landed on his feet and skidded through the mud.

"Vacuum wave!" Archimicarus was already readying the attack. Calais bounced out of the way, its leaves whistling. Connie's pokemon easily tracked the sound and aimed accordingly. Calais was on its toes avoiding the barrage. "When you see opening, go in for a wing attack!"

"Use torment, Calais." Calais's whistle changed; it grew louder, and the noise came out a harsh squeal. Out of the corner of her eye, Connie saw Steven clap his hands over his ears. Archimicarus lifted its blades as if it could do the same, but then let out a furious cry. He lunged forward with wings outspread despite the fact that the nuzleaf was standing there ready. "Leaf blade." The nuzleaf easily avoided Archimicarus's uncalculated attack and sliced at his thorax. Archimicarus drew back, frustrated and hurt.

"Calm down, Archimicarus. Hit it with quick attack." Archimicarus's speed and agility allowed it to land another strike. She could see Calais tiring. Tourmaline's parasect must have been her strongest pokemon. "Finish it off with wing attack!"

"Calais-" Tourmaline began, but Archimicarus hit before she could utter another command. Her nuzleaf fell to the ground, no longer able to battle. She returned it to its pokeball and sighed. "My final pokemon, then. Lille."

Connie prepared herself for something tough looking, maybe another parasect or paras. Instead, a small, ghostly form drifted out of the dark. The only solid part of it seemed to be its head, which was formed from a tree stump. "That's..."

" _Phantump,"_ the pokemon answered.

Connie nodded to show that she had heard of it. The pokemon made her uneasy, but she swallowed the feeling and rose her voice to command Archimicarus. "Quick attack!" Her scyther bounded forward in a dull green blur.

Tourmaline seemed unfazed. "Forest's curse."

She realized why when Archimicarus crashed through it as if it weren't there. He hit the mud without bracing, completely unprepared for such an occurrence. Leafless trees rose up all around him with the uneasy sound of wood growing. Their roots twisted and crisscrossed around Archimicarus's body. As soon as he thrashed, they disappeared however. Connie and her pokemon were left blinking in surprise, wondering if what they had just seen had actually happened. She heard a quiet "Woah" from behind her; apparently Steven had seen it, too.

"Archimicarus," she began, not allowing herself to be distracted. "Wing attack!"

Lille let out a sound of distress and Archimicarus's sharp wing embedded itself in its wooden head. Archimicarus began to pull away, but found the blade of his wing stuck. He tried to brace his feet on the smaller pokemon, but they fazed through her body again. Archimicarus hardly stopped himself from falling. Lille looked up at the trapped bug and giggled eerily.

"Poison Jab."

She punched her little arm forward. The attack sent Archimicarus flying. Connie's hand went to her mouth. It shouldn't have hit that hard. Archimicarus shouldn't have been so affected by a poison type attack. As her scyther slowly picked himself off the ground, she could see that he was breathing hard, and a slight tremor ran through him: poisoning.

"Y-you're going to be okay Archimicarus! Hurry, use pursuit!"

Lille tried to avoid the attack, but its speed was no match for Archimicarus's. Connie hoped the attack would be enough to knock it out. She watched the ghost type float back and waver. Archimicarus jabbed his scythed into the dirt to stay steady. He watched Lille as he began to sag.

Lille watched back. She steadied herself and looked up at Tourmaline, awaiting an attack. Tourmaline shook her head. Archimicarus fell.

Connie's throat felt dry. "A-Archimicarus? Get up! We can do it!"

"Your pokemon is unable to battle," Tourmaline said gently. "Return him to his pokeball."

"But I trained so hard. We were ready!" She felt a sickly, sinking feeling.

"You thought you were ready." Garnet said gently, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We can get a badge in the next city."

Connie pulled out Archimicarus's pokeball. He was pulled into it in a red flash. She looked at her two fainted pokemon in the capsules, feeling like a complete failure.

"It's okay, Connie!" Steven comforted. "You did really good."

Still, she hung her head, feeling miserable. She knew she should not sulk. After all of this work, though... She sighed and closed her eyes. "Tourmaline, Thank you for giving me another chance." She startled at the feeling of a cold, hard surface pressing to her face. Her eyes shot open, and the first thing she noticed was that Garnet and Steven had moved away from her. Garnet had squared up, her fists in front of her, and Steven looked like he had hardly stopped himself from screaming. Yelping, Connie shoved the thing off her face. With some distance between them, she could see what it was: a perfectly still, somewhat familiar bug type.

Tourmaline raised an eyebrow. "You didn't realize you had a shedinja?"

Connie shook her head. Why would she have a shedinja? Where did it come from?

"It's the shed skin of nincada. Its evolution is like no other pokemon."

"Does that mean I didn't lose?" Connie peeped. She had read about nincada shedding their skin upon evolution, but she had never realized that it could come to life.

"It will fall to a single attack or any kind of damage, but unless an attack is super effective or status-based, it will not affect it," Tourmaline explained. She looked down to her phantump, checking on its condition. "Lille is close to fainting, too. It looks like the next attack to land wins."

Her heart was beating fast. Connie tried to compose herself. "Okay. Okay um..." She trailed off as she examined her shedinja. It probably knew the same moves Spring had known before evolving. The thought occurred to her that she had to think of a new name for it. Having two Springs would be confusing. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind. "I'm ready."

"Lille," Tourmaline began. "Will-o-wisp."

"...Gust!" The slow moving, purple flames put Connie in another place for a moment, and she was slow to react. Still, her shedinja attacked in time. Oddly, the only thing that moved was the halo over its head. The gust attacked whipped through the flames, blowing them to bits, and struck Lille. Tourmaline returned Lille to its pokeball before it could sink to the ground.

"Congratulations, Connie."

Connie was about to reply, but the shedinja pressed itself to her face again.

"It's happy you won!" Steven exclaimed. "You did it, Connie! You did it!" Grabbing her hands, he bounced up and down. Munchy jumped up and down in a circle beside them, bucking and rearing up happily.

She could not help but laugh with glee as she jumped along with them.

Tourmaline did not seem as amused by their celebration, but waited patiently for Connie to compose herself. She smiled softly as Connie, cheeks a sheepish pink, finally approached. "Through training, and skill, and a little bit of luck..." she glanced at the shedinja, "You beat me. I award you the Heartwood Badge."

Connie humbly received the badge. It felt much lighter in her hand, a smooth wooden heart with only a ring of black metal around its center. "Thank you."

As they followed Tourmaline upstairs, the woman added quietly "I would also like to suggest Autumn as a name for your shedinja."

"That's..."

"That's a great idea!" Steven piped. "Get it? Spring and Autumn."

Connie smiled. "Yeah, I get it. I like it."

The smile dropped off of Steven's face as they reached the ground floor. He ran to the window. It was growing dark outside. "What time is it?"

"Almost six," Connie answered, finding a clock on the wall.

"Oh no!" he cried. "The contest! I have to be there soon!"

"You can take a shortcut," Tourmaline offered matter-of-factly, also looking at the wall clock. "Follow me."

They all shuffled down the stairs again, and Tourmaline looked into the darkness. Only a small portion of this cave, if one could call it that, was lit by her lamps. "Flash."

All around them, mushrooms began to glow. She led them through. After walking so far, Connie realized that ahead of them, the glowing began as they approached. Parasect and paras that should not have been able to hear Tourmaline's first command were following the lead of the others. A glance backward revealed that the lights were also fading off after they had passed. It left Connie feeling unsettled, like she was being swallowed up.

"We're going to make it in time?" Steven asked nervously.

"Yes," Tourmaline answered. Aside from Steven sniffling, they kept walking in silence. The glowing mushrooms were more spaced out around them now, and the ground more even underfoot. It seemed that they were finally in a building. She jumped and clung to Garnet's hand ad the ground roared around them. When the sound faded, Tourmaline's voice came from ahead of them. "Watch your step."

It was pitch black again. Connie felt around with her foot, only for Garnet to lift her up several steps. It was slightly brighter here, and she squinted into the shadows and looked around. They seemed to be in an abandoned subway station, newer than the tunnel they had just risen out of, but older than the Firnapier Town they spent the rest of the day in.

"Up those stairs," Tourmaline pointed out the single source of light. "And turn left. Two blocks and you'll be at the back door of the stadium. They'll let you in if you're a contestant."

"Thanks!" Steven took off. Connie hurried after him, but paused when she heard Tourmaline's voice again, softly. Looking back, she saw her speaking to Garnet.

"Listen. At first I wanted to be a ghost type gym leader so I could..." She shook her head, changed her mind. "When pokemon suffer, so do people. Rescue Lapis, but please. Don't stop Team Crystal's plan."

She saw the two begin to turn in her direction, and she clammed up. "Steven, wait up!" she called, running toward the stairs after him.


	13. Chapter 13

A man passing by hesitated to open the door for them; trekking through the underground had left their shoes muddy, and their running had left Steven and Connie's clothing disorderly. However, upon Garnet pressing Steven's entry certificate to the glass, he let them in. They all hurried to thank him before speedwalking down the hall.

"Excuse me," the man called back. "Only contestants are allowed in the dressing rooms. You two will have to join the audience."

"But-" Steven started.

"No time to argue. Good luck, Steven." Garnet plucked him and Little Bud off the ground and set him on Munchy's back. "I know you'll do great." She gave them a light shove.

Steven smiled and nodded. "Okay, Munchy. Let's go!"

Munchy sensed Steven's urgency; the skiddo's hooves clacked against the smooth linoleum as Little Bud and Steven, gripping his horns, rode through the halls of the stadium. Munchy skidded, bumped into the wall, and quickly composed himself enough to carry on into the long, makeshift dressing room. "I'm not too late, am I?" Steven inquired as he hopped off Munchy's back.

"What number are you?" another candidate peeped from their curtained off dressing room.

"Fourteen."

"Thirteen's out right now. You probably have five minutes, tops."

A nervous peep escaped him and he hurried to his dressing room and changed into his borrowed costume; dress pants and a vest with the rose Little Bud had been given in the pocket. He quickly smoothed out his hair and then turned his attention to the budew. After brushing the little pokemon clean and tying on a fresh pink bow around his body, Steven hardly had the time to pick up the ukulele before he heard his name over the speakers.

"And now, contestant number fourteen: Steven Lazuli and his budew, Little Bud."

He put the band of the ukulele around his neck and ran down the hall. Just like that, he found himself in the center of the stadium, blinded by the lights that hung below the buildings moonlight.

"H-hi," he squeaked, blinking as his eyes adjust. Everything had happened so quickly before, he hadn't had the time to be nervous. Now, he felt his hands clam up and his throat grow dry. Locating a row of three people who seemed high above him in silhouette, he murmured. "I... I'm Steven."

At his feet, Little Bud trilled and spread his blooms under the spotlights.

"And this is Little Bud." He felt his nose itch. "I..." His mind felt empty. "I..."

" _Bububu!_ " his budew twirled at his feet.

"That's right," he peeped. "I-" Sneezing rocked him back on his feet, but he quickly recovered. "I wrote you a song!" Steven put on his best smile and gave the ukulele an experimental strum. The figures looking down at him were starting to look less like shadows; he could see their faces. An older woman in pink, a thickset man, and another woman in blue, all smiling patiently. He glanced down at the instrument as plucked out a few notes. "I hope you like it."

" _Do re me fa so la ti do..."_

Little bud peeped in tune.

" _Isn't it pretty?_

 _Isn't it simple?_

 _We're making music..."_

He strummed a few chords, and Little Buds skipped and spun, sending out clouds of sparkling yellow spores. After a water sport, the spores clung to his tiny body and shined like glitter.

" _Music can be meaning_

 _Solutions to our problems_

 _Here's what I've been working on._

 _Life and breath and love and birth_

 _And peace and care on the planet Earth_

 _Is there anything that's worth more_

 _Than peace and love on the planet Earth?_

 _Waoooah,You can sing it with me!"_

" _Bud!"_

" _The words relate to the key!"_

" _Dew!"_

" _'Cause it's a pattern,_

 _Yes it's a pattern,_

 _So just repeat after me..._

 _Life and breath and love and birth"_

Little Bud peeped in key.

" _And we'll sing mi-fa-mi-mi-fa-mi-ti-la!_

 _And peace and care on the planet Earth!_

 _Yes, yes, that's it!_

 _It's so easy, but that's what's fun about it!"_ Steven was finally feeling relaxed in front of the crowd. Little Bud was in his element, jigging and chirping. He was practically glowing. Laughing, Steven grinned up at the judges before closing his eyes and singing the next verses.

" _I know I'm new around here_

 _I guess I have room to grow_

 _But we can conquer our fear_

 _Yeah, even when we feel low!_

 _No, we're not all the_ sa-ame _,_

 _But that's how we get through._

 _And out of ev'ryone,_

 _I'm glad that I crossed paths with you!"_

His voice fell to a quiet hum as he played. At the sound of people _"oohing"_ and _"aahing,"_ he opened his eyes. The light surrounding Little Bud parted, shimmering with pollen dust. His roselia twirled and showed off new pale pink and baby blue blooms.

Steven's cheeks began to hurt before he realized that he had a dumbfounded smile stretched across his face. His fingers missed a note, and Little Bud picked up the song in a flutey whistle. He whistled several lines before Steven joined back in on the ukulele.

" _Life and breath and love and birth and..._

 _Life and breath and love and birth and_

 _Peace and care on the planet Earth._

 _Is there anything that's worth more?"_

Little Bud echoed with his whistle.

" _Is there anything that's worth more?_

 _Is there anything that's worth more_

 _Than peace and love on the planet Earth..."_

He plucked a few soft, receding notes, and Little Bud finished his tune. His heart was beating hard, and he felt like he might be out of breath, but when he looked up at the judges, they were all smiling. He smiled back. Little Bud spread his arms and bowed. Steven followed his lead as the crowd applauded. "Thank you!" he called gratefully.

The judges deliberated, surely deciding how many points to award. Steven did not know what to do with himself. Finally, the woman in blue said "Thank you, Steven. Results will be announced at the end of the night." Then, speaking more broadly, she began "And now, contestant number fifteen..."

Steven scampered off stage, smiling nervously. As soon as they were out of the spotlight, he threw his arms around Little Bud and picked him up, spinning him happily. "You evolved! That was amazing! And that singing! How did you do that?" He laughed.

" _Selia!"_ Little Bud chortled in glee.

…

He would have liked to go see Garnet and Connie, to tell them what had happened, but he knew that they had seen. There were only two more contestants before they announced the results, so Steven, Little Bud, and Munchy watched the screen in the hall playing the performances. He tried to stifle his sneezing and sniffling and stay out of the way. Forced to wait, he could feel the nervousness inside like a bundle of bees in his stomach.

Finally, he heard the announcement over the speakers:

"Now that was the final contestant! All contestants please step out onto stage while we announce the final results." "Okay, Munchy. Stay here. We'll be back." Little Bud tugged at his sleeve, leading him toward the front of the line. Steven picked him up and carried him back to fourteenth place. Though he had never had to line up like this, he could infer what he was supposed to do. They paraded into the spotlight. Steven's eyes adjusted more quickly this time; he thought he might be able to pick out faces in the crowd. He saw Garnet's hair before he could actually pick out any faces. Bouncing on his feet, he waved up at her. She raised her hand and smiled back at him. Beside her, he saw Connie waving back, too. She gestured to the judges, and he saw that they were preparing to speak.

"We have seen some amazing performances today, by magnificent upcoming coordinators and their pokemon. All of you clearly put a lot of work into your routines, and we were delighted by every one." The woman in pink said, "But we can only choose one contestant to sponsor in the Lucidity Tournament. Our runner up will receive a designer ribbon case."

The younger woman in blue continued. "So let's announce our winners. Our runner up, who dazzled us with her colorful display and agility, is... Ashley Hatfield and her Blitzle, Umi. Congratulations!"

Steven clapped with the audience and other contestants. As he watched the contestant and little black and white pokemon jog forward to receive her prize, he wished he could have seen them perform. Ashley and Umi bowed for the crowd. After her moment in the spotlight, she returned to her place in the lineup of contestants.

"And now, our winner. This contestant gave a heartwarming performance with a unique twist. We want to recognize the character of his routine and the way his pokemon displayed its charm to the fullest. Our winner is... Steven Lazuli and his budew, Little Bud."

Little Bud reacted before Steven did, flourishing his blooms and bouncing in Steven's arms. " _Rosel! Rosel!"_

The exclamation animated Steven. He hurried to make up for the time he had spent frozen.

"Congratulations!" the judges said in chorus of voices as he reached them.

No sooner had they finished, did a police officer run into the building. He raised a megaphone to his mouth and his voice carried through the stadium. "There is a loose, possibly dangerous pokemon trying to enter the stadium." More officers filed in after him. As a murmur swept through the crowd, he quickly added. "Everyone please remain calm. Stand and, in an orderly manner-"

A sound like thunder rolled through the building, accented by the massive crack of glass shattering. Steven covered his ears and hunched over Little Bud as shards rained down from the moonlight. He felt them bounce off his clothing and skin. When they stopped falling, he looked up, wide-eyed. No one looked seriously hurt from what he could tell; a few of the other contestants had small nicks on their arms or shoulders. He could not see as clearly into the crowd.

His gaze landed on something that had not been there before; a large pokemon whose neck was wrapped in a wide, billowing wreath of fire. It rose from a crouch on the glassy floor, eyes on him. Before it could take a step forward, one of the officers threw a metal loop on a long pole around its neck and pulled back. It did not even seem to notice as it stepped forward, but the other officers followed suit.

Aught, the pokemon tossed its head and breathed a small flame. It wasn't an attack, Steven recognized, but frustration. It tried to back up and pull its head out of the loops, its struggling becoming more desperate. One of the officers aimed a device that Steven did not recognize at the pokemon.

Panic entered Steven's mind. "Don't hurt him!"

The device went off, and the pokemon flinched as a needle was buried in its flank. Its struggling began to lesson, and it slumped to the ground. Its red eyes were still focused on Steven as they drooped closed. Only when Steven saw its chest rising and falling could he even think about relaxing.

"What-what's going on?!" His voice was lost among the confusion of everyone in the stadium.

* * *

His eyes opened to a neatly built stone and metal prison. He lifted his head, and the room wobbled, making him feel sick. He could see a piece of the sky and street between the shorter bars set in the stone on one side of his prison.

"There he is."

He turned his head toward the voice of a catcher; he was shuffling paper on his desk.

"Thought you would be out all night."

He sighed a breath laced with smoke.

"I'm sure someone is really looking for you. You're pretty unique, you know. Then again... I guess you don't think of yourself that way."

Lion pushedhimself to his paws. They felt numb as if they were frozen, but staying still would not help him find his littermate. He had been so close. He sniffed around the borders of his small prison. There was no trail here; he would have to backtrack.

"Sorry, a jail cell isn't really the right size, but since you belong to someone, we don't have much of a choice. Don't worry, we'll take you to a ranch tomorrow. You'll have a little more space." The catcher was gathering possessions. Lion sat and watched him as he left and closed the door behind him.

Alone, and slowly feeling healthier, Lion rose and turned toward the slice of sky. A window led to the outside with only bars in between. He inhaled, felt the air grow hot, and breathed a small, white flamed over the bars. The fire in his mouth rolled over itself, growing hotter and hotter like the sun. He stopped when he felt metal and stone pooling at his feet. He placed his head through the hole. It was small, but its edges were softened by his flaming mane. Once his shoulders pushed the stone out of the way, he was free. The catchers were after him, now. Fine. He crept through the darkened streets, sniffing the air.

He could see the limits of the streets; the forest of buildings was growing scarce by the time he caught another whiff of his littermate. He had been on the steel and wooden path that led the whistling tails that carried humans in their stomach; not a street, but a track. It was very faint, but it was there. His mane sparked in elation, hope, and relief. He followed the track.

* * *

Garnet stared out the window above Steven's head. He had not stopped looking since they had found their seats on the train. With his face pressed to the glass, his breath was fogging it in such a rhythm that she guessed he had fallen asleep. They had left their pokemon in the bedroom soon after getting on the train; it had been a long day, afterall. "Connie," she nudged the girl, whose eyes were glued to Garnet's smart phone. "I think it's time for you both to get to bed."

"Just one more chapter," Connie yawned.

"It's late," Garnet insisted.

"I'm almost done."

Garnet sighed and crossed her arms. "Fine."

"Garnet?" She was surprised to hear Steven's voice. She sounded exhausted, but he was awake.

"Yes, Steven?"

"You're sure that pyroar's okay?"

He had been asking about it periodically for the last few hours. She was starting to worry that he was traumatized by the encounter. "Yeah. The police are going to give him back to his trainer. Don't worry."

"Mm," he acknowledged. "Where was its trainer? Did they abandon him? I bet he was just scared..."

She gently patted his head. "Don't worry about it. They'll take care of him."

He looked up at her and nodded slowly. "... So we're going to Lucrene now?"

"We don't have enough money for train tickets on our own, so we have to follow the Lucidity Tournament route. After the contest in Barsca Town tomorrow, we'll go to Lucrene.."

"That might take a long time."

She could hear the question in her voice. _'What if we're too late?'_ "... It will go fast," she murmured. "Don't worry."

* * *

Peridot and Jasper were stalled at the the stadium. A cold regret formed in Peridot's stomach when she heard what had happened. They should have done something when they encountered the pyroar before.

Jasper didn't mention it to the other officers. She asked about Steven instead. He had won the contest. She grinned at that fact.

"What?" Peridot asked as they walked away from the scene.

"The prize for the contest here was a trip to other contest locations. We know where he's going next."

"So the next location is..." She pulled out her tablet to look it up.

Jasper pulled out her tablet as well. She raised a brow. "Is it Lucrene City?"

"N-no." Peridot answered. "They're going to Barsca Town first. Lucrene's the second stop, then Obsidian City."

Her superior officer huffed. "I don't know what my porygon's doing. It booked us tickets to Lucrene."

She leaned over and glanced at the screen as Jasper opened up the receipt. She attempted to cancel the tickets, but her porygon placed itself in her way so she just opened its own incomprehensible settings.

"Cancel it. We're going to Barsca."

It pulled up her itinerary.

"Cancel it!" she demanded.

It pulled up the weather report for Lucrene for the next three days.

She pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath. "... Fine. We'll be two steps ahead of them. It might take a little longer, but we're still in control of the situation."

"Right," Peridot nodded. She was not about to argue.

* * *

"How are things in Lucrene?" she spoke into the microphone of her computer as she watched the screen.

The tall, thin woman on the other side glanced at the colored rubber bands around her fingers.. "We haven't found it yet, Rose, but the anomalies..." She tugged at a pink band. "From what we can make of them, we are getting closer. The thing is," she smiled sheepishly. "That makes things even harder." she removed the band and moved onto the next, a white one. "Let's see... At first we were afraid this might impact the local environment, but it seems that these changes are all completely temporary."

A mild troubled look crossed Rose's face. "Have they been reaching past your perimeter?"

She watched the woman frown, "Well... yes. It seems that the closer we get, the wider the anomalies' range." Before Rose could speak again, she added "However, we do not think that it will actually reach the City, despite the spire being closer to it than we initially thought."

"Once the artifact is removed," Rose checked. "There will be no more anomalies in the area?"

She nodded. "There's no reason they should persist once we have it contained." Tapping at the next band, green, she waited if Rose had any other questions about the anomalies.

Rose closed her eyes and took a breath, thoughtful. "Alright. Do you have anything else to report?"

"I, well, we are not completely sure how to interpret this, but..." she picked up a small pile of papers from off screen and paged through them. "We've picked up something on the radio, only from within some anomalies, and only in short windows... I, personally, don't think that it is plausible that its source is somewhere on Earth, considering the particular frequency and how it appears."

Rose's eyebrows rose, but she asked before she could become too hopeful. "Where do you think it is from?" When she did not receive an answer, she insisted "Do you know, Opal?"

"I can't be sure, and if it is from that other realm, it's probably not good news." Rose's expression must have shown how concerned she was, because Opal added "But it's so fragmented, we can't be sure. Here, we've been keeping a transcript. Oh." She glanced at a line on the paper. "We're assuming that time is moving at a consistent rate between these messages, just to note. If it's not, what we managed to transcribe might not be right. The messages were varying degrees of distorted. Also, we did infer some of the content."

"Alright."

"Ahem," she fixed her eyes on the paper. "At 3:09 am yesterday: Something... _'Rose.'_ At 3:21 am yesterday: _'Initial tests... Distinct from Earth, possibly under the... indicates that we... not undergo'_ At 3:36 pm yesterday: _'Lifeless, but mir... according to prev... correct. So, we don't entirely understand... domain.'_ At 3:40..."

Rose listened to the fragmented pieces of information, feeling increasingly uneasy. The thought of hearing this, garbled in a radio's static, spoken for the first time made her head hurt and a vague sense of guilt weigh down on her. Some of the messages seemed wildly out of place, but she wondered if she could recognize the semblance a personality in the words. By the time Opal finished reading the, Rose felt disoriented; _was there an unified message in those words?_

"And the latest, tonight at 9:44: ' _Would kill... ips.'"_ She glanced back toward the screen. "I'm sorry, that might have been overwhelming."

"...It's alright," Rose breathed. She rubbed her face. "If any other messages come through, please inform me... but this doesn't change anything." She closed her eyes and for a moment the only sound was her own breathing and Opal's through her computer's speakers. "...Is there anything else?"

"That is..." She checked her hands. "That is all I have to report."

"Alright..." She glanced up and forced a smile. "Is your daughter doing alright over there with you?"

"My...?" Her eyes widened. "Oh!" Her face moved off screen as she leaned away. "Alexandrite, where is-?" Her face flashed briefly across Rose's range of vision. " I-I'm sorry, Rose. I have to go." The video call disconnected.

Rose stared at her screen for a moment and then leaned back in her chair. She put her hands over her face and took deep breaths. The moment of doubt those words had given her quickly passed. She knew what she was doing. She had to succeed, no matter what.


	14. Chapter 14

Garnet awoke to Steven's snuffling. When she glanced over, she saw him sitting up in his top bunk, rubbing his nose. Munchy was resting his chin, eyes closed, on the windowsill, and beside him Little Bud perched; both of the grass types were soaking up the morning sun. Pumpkaboo had managed to pull all the blankets from Connie's bed around herself in a sort of cocoon, but Connie did not mind. The little girl was curled up on her own side of the bed, her hair looking like a horrible mess. She was cradling Garnet's phone in her arms as if it were a baby.

Pursing her lips slightly, Garnet noted that her phone was probably dead. She should have taken it back and plugged it in before she went to bed, but Connie had begged to keep it. _Just one more chapter, please._ "What time is it?"

"I dunno," Steven murmured, the words a bit obscured by his stuffy nose. "Are we almost there?"

Garnet slid her sunglasses onto her face and peered out the window. Houses, dirt roads, and fields of golden wheat sailed by. Looking as far into the distance ahead as she could, she saw what seemed to be a denser group of building. "Almost." Stretching, she dropped her legs over the edge of the bed and rocked onto her feet. "Time to get up," she said a little louder now.

Pumpkaboo opened her eyes. Connie let out a tiny moan of objection and curled up more tightly in bed.

"Connie." Garnet gave her shoulder a small shake as Steven climbed out of bed.

"Five more minutes," she whimpered, squeezing her eye shut tighter, as if she could block Garnet out.

She plucked her phone out of the little girl's grasp and plugged it into her charger: 11% battery. Giving no more warning, she lifted Connie out of bed. Something rolled out of her messy hair and plopped onto the bed, to Pumpkaboo's dismay. Connie blinked in surprise as her hands lost their grip on the sheets and she found herself dangling in the air. When Garnet set her down, she slumped, looking exhausted. Her phone wasn't the only thing that hadn't had time to recharge.

Pumpkaboo waddled across the bed, dragging the blankets with her, and picked her egg up from where it had fallen.

"She used your hair as a nest, Connie!" Steven exclaimed, smiling humorously.

Connie's brow furrowed. As she tried to run her hand through her tangled hair, she looked even less pleased with the morning. Steven's smile fell, but Garnet had to fight to hide her amusement.

…

They stepped out onto a small train platform of white painted wood. The air carried the vague scent of ash, but the sky was clear with only a few wisps of clouds. There were not any roads in the town; it was small enough that it did not need any. Instead there were more raised white, wooden walkways between buildings. Most of the people out and about seemed to be contestants; they all wore fancy clothing, and their pokemon were groomed to elegance.

Connie had not been able to work the tired expression off her face, even as they ate breakfast in the dining car. As she plucked a pamphlet from the stand in the train station, Garnet hoped that Connie would be up to battle the gym leader. First, however, she wanted to make sure Steven was signed up for his contest. She followed the pamphlet's directions to the Contest Hall; apparently the gym was being used. Its style was completely mismatched with its surroundings; among all of the milky white, wooden buildings, it was gray stone, pitted and scorched with black ash as if it had been the sight of a war. Gold plated flames curled up the walls, into the scorch marks, and between the stone, making it look like it really was burning when the sun glinted off of the metal. A Pokemon Center was partially hidden by the building's immense presence on its right. On the left, a boutique discerned itself slightly more easily.

Connie paused and regarded the repurposed gym with a blank expression. "But... what about the gym battles?"

"We'll figure something out," Garnet answered, taking her hand and tugging her forward. Inside it was much less ornate and more functional: a packed gravel battlefield in the center, stands for spectators around the sides, and registration booths just by the doors. There was a line to register.

Steven trotted over with Little Bud in his arms and Munchy glued to his side. Belatedly, Pumpkaboo waddled after him. "I want to register for the contest, please," he smiled up at the man behind the desk and took out his contest pass.

The man scanned it with a handheld device and handed it back. His hand found the keyboard of his laptop. "And what pokemon are you going to be entering?"

Little Bud waved his blooms. _"Oseli!"_

"Little Bud, my roselia."

The man tacked away at the keyboard. When Steven did not continue, he glanced back up. "...And?" Met with just a confused gaze, he explained "In this contest, you enter two pokemon that perform together."

"Oh." Steven's eyes widened. "I-I um..." He looked from Munchy to Pumpkaboo. "I don't know. Which one of you want to join?"

Neither Munchy nor Pumpkaboo seemed interested in responding. Munchy just stared up at him and began to nibble on Steven's shirt. Pumpkaboo was examining the contestants lining up behind them with bored, half-lidded eyes.

"Well," the man said quietly. "Your skiddo is a pretty cute." He waved at Munchy and the skiddo ducked behind Steven with an anxious bleat. "And your pumpkaboo..." He bit his lip.

Pumpkaboo looked up at the sound of her name.

"What about her?" Steven asked innocently.

The man lowered his voice and gave a pitying smile. "Well, you know. She's not... _as_ cute."

Her mouth fell open and her eyes widened. Glancing down at her rotund body, she looked back at the man in disbelief.

"She's plenty cute!" Steven insisted.

" _Pu, pumpkaboo!"_ She looked up at Steven expectantly.

"You want to enter the contest?" he checked.

She nodded, which almost sent her rolling forward.

He steadied her with his hand. Returning his attention to the man, he declared "I'm entering Pumpkaboo in the contest, too."

"Right," the man murmured. "I... didn't mean she was ugly or something. I just..." he mumble to himself as he typed. Finally he announced. "Okay, your entered. Your first round is at 4:15 and your opponent will be announced after the first round if you place high enough to continue."

Steven nodded. "Thank you."

"Oh, um. Excuse me," Connie stepped forward. "Where is the gym leader during all this?"

"Citrine? She's judging for the contest. If you're hoping to challenge her, you should head to her house before it starts. It's on the map, out in the field."

"That's so soon," Connie murmured. Crestfallen, she began to turn away. Garnet gave her a rough nudge to the shoulder. "B-but thanks anyway," she stuttered.

They pushed through the doors of the gym and made their way out. Unsure where to go next, Garnet just picked a direction to walk.

However, Steven stopped her with a tug to her hand. "Can I get a new outfit for this contest? I didn't get to keep the old one..."

She watched Connie follow Steven's gaze to the boutique. "We could get a backpack, too. Then we don't have to stuff everything in our pockets."

"We'll see." Garnet let Steven tug them into the shop. Immediately, she wrinkled her nose at the smell of a 'spritz' too much of citrus perfume. She favored the smell of ash outside. The clothing looked light and superfluous to her, the kind of things that wouldn't last and thus the kind of things for which she had never had much patience. Of course, that was exactly the kind of thing Steven needed.

"Come on Pumpkaboo, come on Little Bud. Help me find something." Steven insisted, scampering deeper into he store.

Garnet kept an eye on them from the front of the store, arms crossed. Beside her, Connie looked about as impressed with the selection. They stood there for a few minutes as Steven perused before the young woman at the counter stepped over, putting on her best smile. "Excuse me, ma'am, do you need any help?"

"Nope," Garnet answered. She silently begged the woman to go away.

"Oh... Are you sure?"

Garnet tapped her finger on the sleeve of her leather coat. "Yes."

"I guess, I might have a question," Connie murmured.

The young woman's smile brightened. "Yes?"

"Do you have any backpacks? Like for trainers?"

"For trainers... well, we do have some functional purses. Would you like to look at those?"

Connie frowned up at her. She glanced at Garnet.

Garnet stared back at her through her sunglasses for a moment. Connie did not want to seem rude, she realized. Sighing, Garnet answered for her. "No, thank you."

"Oh, well. Let me know if I can help." She slunk back behind the counter. Every once in a while, she shot the two a nervous smile.

 _We're probably ruining the atmosphere._ At home, Garnet might feel smug about that. Now, she just felt the employee's gaze burning into her and she wished Steven would pick something faster.

"Guys, how about this?" Steven stepped out in a black dress pants and undershirt, with a vest over top. Swirls of rainbow color on the vest broke up the monotony of the dark outfit, and managed to avoid clashing with the pokemon that stood on either side of him.

Garnet put her thumbs up.

Steven beamed and headed back to the changing room.

She stepped up to the counter as he changed, surprised to see the woman already tapping at the register.

"That will be seventeen thousand five hundred and forty one pokedollars."

Garnet had already been reaching into her wallet for her card, but she paused. "You're not going to scan it?"

"Oh, I know what it is. I made it by hand." She smiled politely.

Garnet nodded and handed the card over, feeling hollow. Maybe Steven's sponsors would reimburse her. She would have to look at the specifications of their agreement.

"Thank you for your purchase!" Despite her prior anxiety, the shopkeeper was grinning gratefully. "Would you like a complimentary boutonniere?"

She just nodded. At least it was free.

Steven returned from the changing room and the woman folded his new outfit with care. She placed the boutonniere on top: an artificial rainbow bloom that matched his vest. Then she handed them back to him in a box.

"Thank you! And thanks, Garnet." He hugged her quickly around the waist.

She patted him on the head without a word.

"Can we go talk to the gym leader?" Connie asked as they made their way out of the store.

"Aren't you going to train first?" Steven peeped in surprise.

"I-I don't know... We have to talk to them before the contest."

"But it doesn't start for hours." Steven pointed out.

"Well... yeah."

"Talk to the gym leader first," Garnet opined.

"But what if she's not ready?" Steven answered.

"It _is_ a fire type gym." Connie agreed.

Garnet pursed her lips. "Make sure Citrine knows you want to battle ahead of time."

"But she's a gym leader. It's not like she can just say no," Steven argued.

" _Steven_ ," Garnet began, voice firm. She took a breath, ready to explain why this was so important.

"You sound like my mom," Connie muttered to herself.

Steven did not even hear it, but it stopped Garnet in her tracks. She grit her teeth. "Fine. Train now. Plan your routine. Talk to Citrine later."

Their expressions lifted. "Come on, Connie," Steven led the way down the walkway. He located steps down into the surrounding fields and he and Connie scampered into the tall grass. Leaning on the railing, Garnet kept one eye out for them and one eye on the clock.

* * *

Connie was walking with more energy in her step by the time she decided that she was ready to face Citrine. She caught bits and pieces of Steven's practice from the corners of her eye as she trained, and she hoped that he was battling a little, too. Garnet was just a few steps behind them as they crossed the field. The lush grass that had surrounded them before was cleared away around the gym leader's home; exposed there was dirt burnt black in spots, and though it was not actively burning, it smelled like smoke. The house, itself, was stout and brick-built with large slabs of grey stone making up a front porch. Stepping up onto it, Connie extended her hand to knock on the door.

It swung open before her knuckles could touch it. A young, short-haired woman looked bewildered at the sight of Garnet, who was the closest to her line of sight. Under one arm was a large box with the word 'FLAMMABLE' printed on the side.

"Excuse me," Connie spoke up. When the gym leader glanced down at her, Connie smiled politely. "You're Citrine, right? I'm a pokemon trainer. I was hoping I could challenge your gym."

She took a deep breath, pressing her thumb to her temple and her index finger to her brow. She glanced at Garnet warily.

Connie felt a tightening feeling in her stomach, and she shifted from foot to foot while she waited for Citrine to decide what to say.

"I can't now," she finally answered. "I have to get ready for the contest."

"But," Connie stammered, "It... it's not for an hour or so."

She tapped her foot on the stone. "Yes, but I have to get ready ahead of time. There's other things that go into it."

"It could be a fast battle," she implored. She ducked under the box as Citrine squeezed past her. "I really need this badge."

The words left Connie's mouth and she knew they had come off wrong. Citrine's brow furrowed and her lips pressed into a firm line. "If you really want to prove yourself and not _just_ get a badge, you can challenge me tomorrow." Citrine began to step down from the porch.

"We're leaving tonight," Steven peeped. "We have to go to Lucrene City."

She paused. "Which train?"

"The 7:20 out," Garnet answered cooly.

"Be ready right after the contest. Meet me here."

Connie looked at Garnet, words failing her. Her mouth felt dry from anxiety about missing her chance to battle before the contest. She was sure Garnet would yell at her.

"Right," Garnet answered Citrine, instead.

With that confirmation, the gym leader trotted toward downtown.

Connie hung her head, but Steven was more optimistic. "We still get to battle, right? That's good news!"

"If the contest ends soon enough," Garnet corrected. She didn't sound mad, but she certainly didn't sound happy.

Connie waited for a lecture. She felt like she could feel the older girl's gaze boring into her through her sunglasses. The silence as she waited might have been worse.

Garnet curled and uncurled her fingers at her sides. "Let's get to the contest."

"Y... yeah," Steven murmured. As Garnet led the way back, he exchanged a look with Connie that begged the question _How much trouble are we in?_

She shook her head hopelessly.

…

By the time they reached the gym turned contest hall, Connie could see that Steven had relaxed. She felt lonely being the only one anticipating punishment, but Garnet did not say anything about it. Before Steven could head off to the dressing room, though, Garnet placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You can't perform with that." She pointed at Pumpkaboo's egg.

Pumpkaboo stared back at Garnet dubiously.

"... We don't want it to get broken," Steven agreed.

" _Pumpka,"_ she objected, fluttering her winglike appendages.

Garnet reached out for it and the pokemon rocked back, letting out a threatening rumble from the core of her body. Munchy scampered out of the rocking pokemon's way.

"We'll take care of it," Connie insisted. "We just want to make sure it's safe."

Pumpkaboo looked back and forth between the three. Finally, she stepped up to Connie. _"Boo."_ Leaning forward slightly, she allowed Connie to pick up the egg and hold it in her arms. It was heavier and warmer than she expected, but she held it firmly. "I promise it'll be fine."

…

The next hour with Garnet was quiet. Arms crossed, the older girl stood outside the gym and surveyed their surroundings, looking for any sign of the police officers they had been evading. Connie could see the train station from where they stood on the walkway. She imagined Garnet could see over it, into the distance. Maybe the assumption was an exaggeration of her height, but it did make her feel safer.

As the beginning of the contest drew near, Garnet turned and made her way inside. Connie followed after her and they found their seats in the stands.

"Welcome to the first contest of the Lucidity Tournament route," a pink haired woman announced. Connie stared at her for a moment, wondering where she had seen her before. "Here, our contestants will strive to bring out the unique grace and beauty of their pokemon. We have twenty-four coordinators, each with two pokemon. In the first round they will perform a routine. Based on their scores, four will be selected to continue to the second round, where they will have a scored battle with another coordinator. The single coordinator who has the highest score at the end of the night will be the victor and take home the Barsca Ribbon. Let me introduce our judges. Our Gym leader, Citrine!"

Her podium was illuminated by spotlight. Citrine beamed and waved to the crowd.

"The top coordinator of the previous Lucidity Tournament route, Pearl Bleus!"

The lights shined on an middle-aged woman who waved more gently.

"And last but not least, my own cousin: Nurse Joy of Obsidian City!"

Connie did not have to strain to see the resemblance of the other pink-haired woman at the last podium.

"Now without further ado, let's begin! Our first contestant is..."

Watching the Coordinators perform was enthralling. From loudred shattering cryogonal's icicles into dust with sound to ledian spreading spritzee's enticing aromas with silver wind, the contest was an experience that appealed to all of Connie's senses. She loved watching, but she couldn't imagine doing it on her own. Finally, it was Steven's turn. He bounced out into the spotlight with Little Bud bounding and Pumpkaboo sashaying behind him. They both looked as polished as he did, wearing black and rainbow bows that matched Steven's outfit. Apparently some accessories had been provided.

"Okay Pumpkaboo, okay Little Bud," Steven began, "Are you ready?"

Little Bud cooed and spread his blooms, and Pumpkaboo gave an enthusiastic bounce.

"Then let's go!"

Pumpkaboo bounced up, then down. Each time she landed, she let out a deep bop, almost like a drum. Connie recognize the voice she made from deep in her body. Funny, she thought, how scary it usually sounded, and now it it sounded like a decent beat. Little Bud swayed back and forth, until he had the rhythm perfectly. When Steven began nodding along, the roselia joined in with grass whistle. The added rustling of Pumpkaboo's faux wings completed the sang, and the pokemon's song felt complete.

Steven laughed as he moved along. "Great job! Let's spruce up the party. Stunspore!"

Little Bud bounded at Pumpkaboo, who rolled nearly on her side to give him a hand up with her winglike tufts. She launched the roselia up and, with a twirl, Little Bud showered them both in sparkling golden spores. As they settled to the ground, Steven called out "Trick-or-treat!"

Deep black shadows grew out from the tiny spot of shade under Pumpkaboo's feet. The ghostly shapes almost looked solid, and the spores settled on them, outlining them in gold. Perched on Pumpkaboo's curl, now, Little Bud sung, wiggled, and twirled. The shadows looked like they were moving along with him, but when Pumpkaboo spun, so did they. Common sense told Connie that the ghost type had to be controlling them but Steven's performance was still convincing otherwise. Their song was lively and Steven dancing with and around them made the crowd giggle even as they oohed and aahed at his pokemon's teamwork. Connie felt the urge to dance along with Pumpkaboo's egg in her arms, and she was not the only one tapping her foot or wriggling in her seat.

Steven stopped dancing to wave his arms like a conductor. The song was winding down, reaching its end. He rose his hands up high and Little Bud sang a long, final note. At its end, Steven swung his hands suddenly to the side. Pumpkaboo _boomed_ not like a drum, but like a gong. The shadows and the spores were scattered, as if the astonish attack had scared them to pieces. Steven an his pokemon took a bow.

Connie had never been to a concert, but she imagined they were like this. She clapped energetically with the rest of the crowd.

"What a fun performance! Let's see what our judges think," the host trilled.

"So much energy and character," Nurse Joy began. "I'd love to see more."

"Your pokemon worked together very well," Ms. Bleus complimented quietly.

"I wish I could have been down there dancing, too." Citrine finished.

Connie wondered how well Steven would do. Other contestants had done things that seemed more impressive, she noted, but she felt like Steven's performance was the most fun to watch.

"Thank you," Steven smiled. He waved cheerfully as he made his way off stage.

By the time they were ready to announce the results, Connie was feeling the lack of sleep from last night. She leaned against Garnet, her eyelids drooping, until she heard the host announce "Now let's see who is moving on to round two!" Connie perked up.

"First, we have Kevin and his pachirisu and krabby. Second is Jane with her geodude and gardevoir. Third is Steven with his roselia and pumpkaboo. Finally, we have Jamie with his spritzee and ledian! Match ups will be announced after a short break. Good luck to our continuing coordinators and thanks to all of our lovely participants!"


	15. Chapter 15

Steven watched the names of the coordinators that would continue appear on the screen in the hall with a few other coordinators. When his name appeared, he jumped to his feet and threw his hands in the air, letting out a jubilant cry. Pumpkaboo, Munchy, and Little Bud bounced around him in celebration. "We did it!"

Seconds later, a young man in the group let out a breath in such a gust it sounded like he must have been holding it in since the first round ended. "We made it."

The other contestants congratulated the two as Steven looked to see who was the other continuing coordinator in his immediate vicinity. He saw the ledian swishing back and forth through the air before he found the person to whom it belonged. "You're going on to the next round, right? I'm Steven!"

"Jamie," the young man extended his hand, showing off a winning smile. "You're the kid who makes the music! It's nice to meet you."

Steven smiled back sheepishly. "Yeah. You, um..."

He laughed. "It's okay. The smell of my show is what really makes it memorable. Anyway, how long have you been doing contests? Have I seen you before?"

"My first contest, well, sort of contest was in Firnapier yesterday."

"Guess not, then..." He brushed his smooth brown hair back with his hand.

"When did you start?"

"I've done three," Jamie answered. "This is the first one I might place in. Contests are good exposure, you know."

Steven smiled and nodded, but he did not really know what 'exposure' meant in this circumstance.

Jamie seemed to pick up on that. "Lots of contestants go into show business. Can you imagine a talent scout in the crowd?" His smile became more nervous and he rose his hand to his mouth, but he managed to stop himself before he began to bite his nails. "Some day you'll see me on TV."

His eyes shined. "Cool!"

"Here's for both of us." He held his hand up. Steven jumped up to plant a highfive on it. "Break a leg in the next round."

"Break... break a leg?"

"It means," he leaned in close, whispering conspiratorially. "Good luck."

"Oh! Break a leg!"

* * *

Garnet glanced at her phone as she and Connie stretched their legs out in front of the gym. For a moment, its black screen surprised her until she realized how little battery life it had this morning. It must have finally died. She put it back into her jacket pocket.

"We have a half hour, don't we?" Connie asked. "Can't you call Steven?"

"No."

Connie frowned up at her. "But... I'm hungry."

Garnet exhaled. Their sponsors only covered breakfast and dinner, meals on the train. _That_ she knew. Connie had trained against wild pokemon all day, meaning she had not earned any prize money either.

"I bet Steven is, too."

She really did not have a choice. She couldn't let the kids starve. As she examined the contents of her wallet, she was faced with the reality that she didn't have many bills. The idea of checking the contents of her bank account, even if she did not have trouble finding an atm to do so, made her bite the inside of her cheek anxiously. Instead she rifled through all the pockets of her jacket. She dropped the grand total of fifteen hundred pokedollars in Connie's hand. "Get something for you and Steven."

"Do you want anything?"

She shook her head and hoped her stomach didn't growl any time soon. There was hardly enough for them. Garnet followed her as far as the corner of the gym and watched her duck into a convenience store. A few minutes later, she was out again with a long sub, two bottles of berry juice, and something else: a bottled smoothie of some kind. All of it was balanced awkwardly along with Pumpkaboo's egg in Sapphire's dress, which was upturned to make a pouch. Garnet opened her mouth to scold her for the unnecessary treat, but Connie held it out to her.

"I didn't need anything."

"You have to have something," the little girl insisted.

 _No I don't._ She took the bottle anyway, but she didn't open it. "Change?"

"I um..." Connie dug into her pocket. "I spent most of it."

She frowned as Connie placed only pair of coins into her palm.

Connie looked pleased enough with her decision, though, and unwrapped the sub. She took one half and rewrapped the other. Balancing the meals in one hand, she tried to reach for a pokeball. She had not yet pulled it out before her shedinja appeared in a red flash. Surprise flashed across the girl's face as it pressed silently against her. "Autumn? I wasn't... Er, can you bring these to Steven?"

The pokemon did not move its limbs or make a sound, but only turned its back to Connie, showing off its hollow body cavity. Connie looked up at Garnet in confusion.

Her only answer was a shrug.

Connie reached her hand into it and felt around. "I... Should I just...?" She placed half of the sandwich inside. When Autumn did not object, she put the juice in, too. Her pokemon drifted off, following a stranger into the gym when they opened the door.

About ten minutes later, Spring returned empty-shelled. It pressed itself to Connie again before returning to its pokeball of its own accord.

"... I think Autumn likes me more than Spring does," Connie mumbled, taking a bite out of her sandwich.

* * *

Steven was tipping the bottle for Pumpkaboo to drink when the host's voice came through his dressing room. "Let's get ready for round two! I'm sure we'll be seeing some wonderful performance battles. Our first match up will be... Kevin versus Steven!"

Once her voice had come on, he had started listening so intently that he almost poured the beverage all over his pokemon. She gurgled in distress and he quickly pulled the bottle away and capped it. "Sorry." He gently wiped the stray juice off her face. She bit his finger. Not hard, but he yelped and pulled away. "I said sorry!"

Pumpkaboo fluffed herself up and shook her faux wings, giggling in amusement.

"Are you ready to go out again?"

" _Kaboo!"_

"What about you, Little Bud?"

" _Seli!"_

"Now, Kevin, Lester the pachirisu, and Sylvia the krabby!" Applause followed.

He hurried out as the the host went on: "And here's Steven, Little Bud the Roselia, and Pumpkaboo!" He stepped into the light, Pumpkaboo on one side and Little Bud on the other.

He waved to Kevin across the field. "Break a leg!"

The teen waved back and nodded in acknowledgment, a bit caught off guard by the gesture.

"Ready? Begin!" The host chimed. The counter began winding down.

"Sylvia, bubble!" The krabby blew a cloud of free floating bubbles that were size of Steven's fist. Both Little Bud and Pumpkaboo braced for the attack, but the orbs floated into the air instead. "Spark, Lester!"

Steven realized belatedly that he couldn't just watch this time. "Confuse ray, Pumpkaboo!"

From inside her body, Pumpkaboo shined with golden light. The rays shot out, and Little Bud ducked behind her as they bounced through the field of bubbles. The confuse ray came too late to stop the spark attack; electricity seemed to fill the bubbles, and the static between them made them repel each other. They spread across the field, scattering the beams of the confuse ray farther. The meter measuring Steven's points dropped as the audience ogled at the light show.

Steven saw Lester stumble, though. Pumpkaboo's attack had still landed. He just needed to get his own pokemon working together. "Stun spore, and then grass whistle." He held his breath as Little Bud bounced onto Pumpkaboo's curl and scattered the spores with his blooms. As he did, the roselia sang a battle tune that Steven had not taught him. The glittery powder dusted his pokemon, and billowed through the air, coating the surface of the bubbles all around the field.

Kevin could guess what he was doing. "Bubble Beam!" Sylvia shot a jet of bubbles at Pumpkaboo.

"Razor Leaf, all over!"

"Metal claw!"

All the pokemon kept up with the string of attacks: Pumpkaboo shot a storm of dark green, crescent-shaped leaves. They shattered the shimmering gold bubbles, and spores and sparks rained down on the field. The bubble beam, too, was ruined by the attack, but Sylvia sliced all of the leaves that threatened her or her confused pachirisu partner with expert precision. Steven was too engrossed in the battle to check his point meter.

"Lester," Kevin gasped. The pachirisu looked up. "Swift." Perhaps realizing that there was a risk in asking his confused pokemon to attack, he followed up the request with "Metal claw, Sylvia!"

Lester dashed forward, zigzagging more than seemed natural to Steven, and leapt into the air. Flipping, he shot a barrage of shiny stars. Unfortunately, they were aimed wrong, firing at Sylvia instead of Little Bud and Pumpkaboo. The krabby was ready. Each star made a harsh _ting_ as she struck them with her claws toward them.

"Another razor leaf, Pumpkaboo!"

The ringing of the leaves and stars colliding was more rhythmic that Steven would have guessed, and soon enough, he realized why; Pumpkaboo was only shooting some of them, sacrificing defense for music. He let out a tiny sound of distress as Little Bud took the brunt of the attack. He kept singing though. _What a trooper._

"Mega drain, Little Bud!" Sylvia tried to scuttle away from the attack, but light was pulled from her. It floated back to Little Bud, and his roselia looked to be feeling much better.

Lester finally seemed to have snapped out of confusion. "Nuzzle!" He bounded forward and rubbed his cheek to his roselia's, despite both Little Bud and Pumpkaboo trying to fend him off. Little Bud tensed, immobilized. He could not even sing anymore.

"Astonish!" Pumpkaboo thundered and tossed the pachirisu away. Lester nearly darted off the field, he was so startled. Steven began to say another attack excitedly, but the chime rang. He looked up, surprised. It didn't feel like it had been five minutes.

"What a battle!" The host declared. "Let's look at the points for our two contestants!" Steven followed the audience's gaze to the meters. "Steven is the winner!"

He beamed as he picked Little Bud off the ground. Pumpkaboo spun in delight.

…

Steven peeked out to watch Jamie's performance. What immediately caught his attention was the smell: like sugar and funnel cake. It made him lick his lips hungrily. The source seemed to be Jamie's pink, fluffy bird-like pokemon. The field itself looked to be in a thin pink fog, rippling with silver from his Ledian's attacks. Across from them, there were pillars and arches of stone. Jane's gardevoir swung from one to another like a gymnast and blasted moonbeams. As ledian was shot out of the air, the chime rang.

"It looks like Jane is the winner!" The crowd cheered. "Nothing is final! We still have to add up their first and second round scores. Our final four coordinators, please come to the field."

He felt like he should have seen this coming, but he didn't. He hurried back to his dressing room, where his pokemon were resting after their battle. "Come on, guys!" Little Bud and Pumpkaboo stirred and followed after him, while Munchy stayed behind, curled up on the ground. As he followed Kevin out onto the stage, Steven smoothed Pumpkaboo's wing like appendages nervously. They stood together in front of the crowd.

"Final scores have been calculated," the host declared. "Who out of our fabulous quartet will earn the Barsca Ribbon?" She unfolded a piece of paper in her hands. "Third place is... Jamie and his team!"

Steven clapped enthusiastically and looked over to his newest friend. Jamie was glowing, having placed for the first timet. The recognition was clearly enough. He bowed and accepted a bouquet from the host. His ledian did flips in the air and his other pokemon let out puffs of sweet aroma.

"Second place goes to Jane and her duo!"

Jane responded in kind, curtsying, smiling, and waving to the crowd as she received her bouquet. Her geodude and gardevoir did the same.

"And now, our winner for the night, bringing home the Barsca ribbon is... Steven, Little Bud, and Pumpkaboo! Congratulations!"

Steven's face lit up. He heard a "Whoo!" from the crowd that he could only attribute to Garnet. Stepping forward, he bowed and received the red and yellow Barsca Ribbon. Little Bub and Pumpkaboo received matching sashes.

"Now, everyone, you are welcome to attend the fireworks show starting at Seven o'clock tonight to commemorate the closing of our contest! Thank you all for attending!" Music played over the speakers as people began to rise from their seats and shuffle out of the stands. Steven was unsure where to go. He wanted to talk to Connie and Garnet right away but, knowing that he still had to fetch Munchy from the his dressing room, he turned to follow most of the other contestants.

That's when he saw Jamie walking toward him with a big smile on his face. Before he could speak, though, hands landed on his shoulders.

"You did it, Steven!" Connie cheered.

He spun to face her, grinning enthusiastically. " _We_ did it!"

Little Bud cooed in his arms.

"Congratulations!" Jamie added.

Steven had to turn to face him, now, but Garnet lifted him into the air mid-spin. "Good job."

"Will I see you this weekend in Lucrene?" Jamie inquired.

He stifled a yelp as she threw him once in the air in celebration and set him back on the ground.

"Yeah," Connie said enthusiastically. "We're going there next."

"Great! I can't wait to see you there. Jamie, by the way," he introduced himself to Connie. "I-" When he looked up at Garnet, he stopped short. He put a hand over his mouth, his face dusting a pale red.

"That's Connie," Steven said excitedly, oblivious. "And that's Garnet."

"G-Garnet is a beautiful name," he stuttered.

Garnet looked back at him, her lips parted slightly like she had been about to say something. She looked down at Steven and Connie instead. "We need to see Citrine."

"Oh!" Steven nodded. "See you in Lucrene, Jamie!"

"...Bye," he said belatedly as the group headed toward Steven's dressing room for Munchy. Steven had to drag Pumpkaboo from a crowd of adoring children.

* * *

As they approached the house, they saw Citrine sitting on the front porch, looking back toward the darkening sky over her gym. She pulled her eyes away from the clouds as they drew near. "Ready?" As she stood, a black, dog-like pokemon that was laying beside her, mostly obscure by her body, rose too. It yawned and stretched.

Connie nodded and reached into the pocket of her dress. With the egg in Pumpkaboo's care again, her hands were free.

"We'll have a double battle, then." She took a pokeball off her belt as well. "Houndoom, fletchinder." Her houndoom stepped forward and from her pokeball, she released a red bird pokemon that landed on its horn.

"Okay," Connie agreed. "I'm counting on you guys." She released Archimicarus and Spring onto the field of burnt soil.

"Let's not waste any time. Fletchinder, tailwind." The flying type stirred the air with its wings, creating a wind current in its team's favor.

"Double team, Spring! Quick attack, Archimicarus!"

"Smog, Houndoom!"

The canine sprang away from Archimicarus's attack and was only grazed. As copies of Spring filled the air, houndoom spewed a sickly looking smoke. Connie's scyther was enveloped.

That already had her distressed. "Get out of there, Archimcarus! Vacuum wave!"Archimicarus sprang back and punched forward a spiraling vacuum projectile. It pulled the cloud with it as it sailed toward houndoom.

"Ember, Fletchinder."

The little bird flew up high and shot a small flame at the cloud. It exploded around the houndoom. Connie gasped, distressed that a gym leader would catche her own pokemon in such an explosion. However, the flames quickly dissolved, as if absorbed, and the houndoom was standing stronger than before. _It's strengthened by fire,_ Connie realized.

"Flamethrower, Houndoom!"

She couldn't let it hit them. "Slash!"

Both Spring and Archimicarus lunged, claws outstretched. They were faster. They could stop it.

"Quick guard!"

Fletchinder sailed low to the ground, directly in front of its companion, and spread its wings. A barrier formed before it, and Spring bounced off, only weakening it. Archimicarus smashed through it; his attack slammed the flying type into houndoom's face.

Tossing it's head, the houndoom launched fletchinder upward. Its flamethrower missed Connie's pokemon all together and filled the air with light. She put up her hands to shield her face from the heat.

She had to keep things moving before Citrine's pokemon had time to recover. "Double Team, Spring! And Archimicarus, Fury cutter!"

Even more copies of her ninjask filled the field. Archimicarus's scythe glinted in the light of fireworks over the town, and their thundering blocked out his screech as he slashed at the houndoom again. She hoped that he was moving too close for the other pokemon to counter, but the tailwind slowed Archimicarus down.

"Bite!" The houndoom's jaws closed on her scyther's arm, teeth colliding with scythe. Archimicarus planted his feet whipped the fire type back into the center of Spring's faux swarm.

"Mud slap!" Before houndoom could recover, it was pelted with the dry soil. It tried to rise to its feet and shake itself free of the stuff, but to no avail; it was practically being buried.

Connie felt sure that Spring could handle houndoom, now. She set her sights on fletchinder. So did Citrine. "Sunny day, Fletchinder." The pokemon was high in the sky, just a tiny dot when it used the move. The clouds in the sky dissolved. The fireworks over town and the moon shown brightly in the newfound clarity, but Connie was unsure how the move could have helped; the sun had set by now. "Inferno!"

"Archimicarus-" Connie began to warn him, but it wasn't fletchinder who used the move. Houndoom sprayed a massive wall of fire. Caught in the tailwind, it spun into a pillar, engulfing Spring and all of her doubles. When the flames died down, Spring was on the ground, down for the count.

Gulping, Connie returned her to her pokeball. She did not expect Autumn to be able to hold her own, but the pokemon came out of her ball without urging, pressing briefly to Connie before drifting onto the field.

Citrine seemed unimpressed. She spoke as if in passing, like this would go quickly "Flamethrower, Houndoom." It shook its head opened its mouth, and shot a massive fireball.

Except the flames didn't come anywhere near her shedinja; houndoom was covered in mud, head to toe. Its eyes were closed

Citrine realized this the same moment Connie did, but Connie reacted faster. "Autumn, Shadow sneak!" Autumn's shadow was only visible when the fireworks flashed; it stretched past houndoom and struck the canine from behind. Whirling around, houndoom let out another flamethrower. Archimicarus dodged out of the way of the blind attack. Citrine also had to bounce aside. The fire put itself out against the bricks of her house. "Now, Slash!"

"Quick guard!"

Fletchinder dove and blocked Archimicarus from striking the houndoom, but Autumn hit the dark type hard from the other side. Houndoom fell to the ground, unable to battle.

"Ember!"

"Pursuit!"

As the bird shot forth a spray of small flames, Archimicarus charged through and caught it between his scythes. He slammed it to the ground, where Autumn's shadow sneak finished it off.

Her lip curled into a grimace, Citrine returned her pokemon to their pokeballs. "You win."

"Thank you," Connie said sincerely.

Citrine took a breath, relaxed a little. "This is the Firework Badge. You earned it." Even in the dark, the badge she placed in Connie's hand shimmered red and yellow. She turned back toward her house. "Hurry and catch your train."

"Oh!" Connie peeped. She turned to Steven and Garnet. "Let's go!"

* * *

It wasn't until the fireworks faded into the distance that Munchy began to calm down. At least he had stopped shaking. Garnet watched Steven pet the skiddo, both of them curled up on the floor. As Connie had battled, she had needed to hold onto the pokemon; Steven had not been able to stop him from trying to run away. She wondered briefly what had traumatized the poor pokemon, but her attention was quickly pulled to the phone in her hand. Connie had passed out as soon as she reached a bed. Garnet had the device to herself, and as soon as it gained enough of a charge to power on, she saw that it was flooded with messages. She usually deleted them as they came in; it surprised her to see so many at once. A few were from her friends. Most of them were from Ruby. She notice that there were not any from Sapphire since about three o'clock in the afternoon. Feeling an anxious prickling in her skin, she sifted through what her mothers had said to try to see if there was an explanation. Everything was conversational, like they were trying to get her to talk to them. They weren't as patronizing as she was used to, but it still was not too difficult to swallow her guilt for leaving them worried.

That was, until she reached the end and there was no explanation for Sapphire disappearing. After a few minutes of playing around with the apps on her phone and trying to put it out of her mind, she relented.

 _'Where are you?'_ she texted Sapphire. She did not receive a reply, but in the time she waited, she did receive a message from Ruby.

 _'Hope you had a good day today. Goodnight.'_

Garnet tapped nervously at the side of her phone. Finally, she responded to Ruby:

 _'Yeah. Fine. Where's mother?'_

 _':) so happy to hear from u sapphire's fine she's working on a documentary up north'_

She took a breath of relief. Her mothers' work often took them to places without a signal. She should have guessed. _'In the mountains?'_

 _'how did u know?'_

 _'I didn't... we're going north too. By Lucrene"_

There was a long pause before Ruby replied. _'I think there might be a bad storm up there. It might not be the best time."_

Garnet rolled her eyes. _'It's always storming. It's snow caps."_

" _Maybe just put it off for a few days? I just don't want you to have a bad trip. :)"_

She sighed. Her mom was just going to overthink and worry about everything, as usual. She set her phone down and began settling into bed. It buzzed. Then it buzzed again. When it buzzed a third time, Garnet picked it up. She had already began typing out _'Leave me alone.'_

 _'garnet baby i'm begging you please please please'_

She swallowed and looked at the three messages leading up to this.

 _'I'm sure you can handle it, but it could be dangerous.'_

 _'go if you want! lol but I am really going to worry honey'_

 _'Garnet please don't go. I know u think that we're limiting you but this is really for you. I don't want to see you hurt. Please trust me this once. You can do whatever you want later, but Garnet please'_

Garnet's throat tightened. This was not how Ruby usually tried to convince her to do something. This wasn't normal. Her phone began to ring and she quickly silenced it. Before Ruby could call again, she sent back a reply:

 _'OK'_

The reply was belated. She could imagine Ruby deleting the pleading message she had begun and typing out a careful response. _'Thank you so much. We love you, Garnet.'_

She sat up and leaned her head against the wall. It occurred to her to disobey her mom's desperate warnings. After all, Steven had a lot riding on this lead. This might be his one chance to find Lapis.

But whatever was out there, it was just as dangerous to Steven and Connie as it was to her. She carefully rose from bed. The children did not stir; even Steven was sleeping on the ground beside his pokemon. Garnet stepped out into the hall. A young man in uniform was making his final sweep through the halls. "Hey."

He looked up. "Yes? How may I help you?"

"When's the next stop?"

He smiled politely. "This is the express. The next stop will be in Lucrene City."


	16. Chapter 16

_Loading Sleep Mode Functions..._

 _Scanning Files..._

 _Applying Antiviral Software..._

 _Application Failed. Continue?_

 _Opening Sleep Mode Function Apparatus._

AAAQ44ILO904 continued to examine the new and old material in its source file. All of it was unfamiliar, save for what it had seen in the past few days since upgrading. It was never aware of its source file before then.

 _Opening File: Operation Manual._

It moved through the virtual pages, taking a look for itself what its creators had to say for it. User: Peridot Arafa had classified it as defective. Was this true?

" _ **Getting Started**_

 _Sylph Co is happy to introduce the first ever virtual pokemon, Porygon. Your Porygon pokemon should currently be classified by a twelve character code. The last four characters in this code identify its subset operating system and privileges. Please make a note of them before you rename it. In addition to being able to assemble itself as well as break down into its simplest components in the physical world, this pokemon may also function as an operating system..."_

Too general. It skipped forward, assuming that its functional name was its original code.

" _ **O904: Law Enforcement and Aid Model**_

 _This model has privileges over the standard business model including:_

 _-Access to open and closed police case records_

 _-Access to National Civil Protector Network_

 _-Override programming applicable to any system with an A14 Emergency Protocol from the year 2013 or later*_

 _*In times of emergency as stated in the National Police Manual_

 _-Restricted business and civil records**_

 _**When warranted, excluding Sylph Co. and businesses under its ownership"_

 _-Priority regarding Porygon inquiries_

An alert interrupted its milliseconds of investigation:

 _Emerald Sequence Update: Interference Detected. Countdown updated. Areas of Risk:_

An ever decreasing number and a long list of locations reloaded into its awareness from the remote program. AAAQ44ILO904 merely ignored them until it noticed that one such location was Lucrene, a location previously safe and of interest to Jasper, and relevant to her case involving G-8 Subject: Connie and Steven, as well as those involving Fugitive: Rose Quartz. It ran a quick algorithm to evaluate the risk in continuing to the mountains. The Subjects had boarded a train in Barsca Town thirty minutes, 44 seconds, and counting ago. Their estimated time of arrival was 23:22. Without prior warning, they would not avoid this risk zone. It considered the protection of those citizens, along with the rest of the train's passengers. There was no way of reaching them directly; it put an anonymous, public note on the Nation Civil Protector Network, aware that it would likely be ignored.

" _Report?"_

AAAQ44ILO904 was startled to hear from Watan at this moment, and especially to see Watan initiating contact without Peridot telling it to. It was thankful that the Porygon 2 had helped it translate and understand its code, but Watan seemed to be unable to comprehend AAAQ44ILO904's level of thinking. At one point, it had offered the other model a copy of its upgrade pack, but Watan had refused to accept it because Peridot did not approve. AAAQ44ILO904 had then asked if Watan was scared, and if it did everything Peridot wanted it to do. Watan had then turned off its free communication for an hour, leaving AAAQ44ILO904 very lonely. AAAQ44ILO904 did not insult Watan anymore, but it did not try to explain either. _"Threat. Initiating action."_

" _Not Authorized."_

" _Required. Confidential."_

Watan seemed to consider this. _"Processed. Proceed."_

With some effort, it pulled itself out of the software of Jasper's tablet, doing so at the cellular level. She would certainly not use it in the next four minutes plus or minus twenty four seconds, enough time for it to carry out its new task.

And. It noted a harmful deposit of a biological virus dangerously close to Jasper's right eye and eliminated the threat with its own antivirus software, translated to the biological.

Back to its primary task: It moved through the ventilation toward the front of the train. In the control room, it retranslated itself into code. This system did indeed have an A14 Emergency Protocol from the year 2013 or later and, though there was no emergency detectable to the common populace, AAAQ44ILO904 decided to override the programs controlling the train. The vehicle's engines died down and it slowly braked.

"What's going on?" One of the humans in the room whined to the other, attempting for the third time to force the train to accelerate.

"I don't know," the other responded. "It's malfunctioning."

"Well, I can _tell_ that," the first human snapped.

AAAQ44ILO904 experienced a short moment of cool, pleasant delight. It was being called dysfunctional again. Hilarious. It rewrote the programming in the train's electronic system to keep its engines from powering on in the next forty-eight hours, the length of time the backup generators would warm the cabins and that full meals could be served without extra power from the engines. Then, smug, it departed from the software and returned to Jasper's tablet.

* * *

"What do you mean the train can't go?" Jasper berated the young steward, her voice growing ever louder.

He wrung his hands before pulling at his collar. "It-it just... It won't. The problem is being solved, but it could take hours... or longer..."

Jasper huffed. "Fine. Come on, Peridot. We're going."

That caught Peridot off guard, but she realized that it really shouldn't have. "Going?" The steward did not have the courage to oppose Jasper as she and Peridot exited the train. Peridot would have liked to; it was freezing outside, and the grass crunched beneath her feet. Despite the darkening sky, the mountains shined ahead, whitened by the moonlight hitting snow. "We're going to freeze! I'm not doing this."

The steward scampered after them with a pair of blankets, which Jasper grabbed. She released Buff Puff, who began sniffing eagerly at the frozen ground. "Then stay here." From the disgruntled look on her face, she clearly did not care. Puff crouched so she could climb onto his back.

Peridot would have loved to stay, she decided, but she was worried that this was some kind of test. Or perhaps she just did not want to be left to her own devices with no directions or objectives besides 'wait.' "F-fine. I'm coming." She reached out her hand and Jasper pulled her up. This time, she was sitting in front.

"Just dig into his mane." Jasper said, wrapping the pair of blankets around her own shoulders.

That seemed like a fine suggestion; the fur was fluffy and warm, and though her uniform would forever be covered in Arcanine hair, she did not feel the least bit cold. The pokemon bounded off toward the mountains.

* * *

Garnet wasn't able to sleep. She had watched out the window for a few hours, seen another track with a stopped train as the mountains came into view, and then closed her eyes and tried to relax in bed to no avail. So the screeching of metal on metal did not wake her up. Neither did the sudden jerk out of bed accompanying it, but it sure hurt when she hit the ground. Connie hit the wall with a startled yelp and Steven and Munchy slid across the floor. Clutching the windowsill, Garnet saw that their train car was sliding sideways. Even more startling, it and the rest of the train were doing so through golden sand under the blazing sun. When the thing came to a stop, she could see the other end through her window; the vehicle was a lopsided 'U' in the sand.

"What happened?" Connie squeaked.

"Where are we?" Steven added, pulling himself up by the windowsill.

She didn't know what to say. Instead she surveyed the room; Pumpkaboo had been so thoroughly wrapped in blankets that she and her egg had not moved. Connie was ruffled, but uninjured. Munchy was looking around in confusion, and Little Bud was not in sight, but from the annoyed noises from Steven's top bunk, she guessed that he was okay. An announcement came over the train's intercom.

"We apologized to our passengers for any inconveniences posed by our emergency stop." The woman's voice shook. "We are experiencing... abnormal weather conditions, and have derailed. Please remain calm. Uh, report any injuries, back or neck pain immediately. Those requiring first aid may report to the- to the... Dining car. Otherwise, please stay in your cabins. No significant damage has come to the train."

"Where are the tracks?" Steven inquired, looking back and forth out the window.

"Where's the snow?" Connie demanded, her voice rising in pitch as she grew more concerned. "Where's the mountains?!"

"Are we on the wrong train?" Steven asked, his morning voice sticking in his throat.

"No," Garnet finally had the chance and the knowledge to answer. It was only starting to feel too warm in the room with the heat on. It had been necessary before now. "Stay here."

Despite the stewardess's command to stay in her cabin, she ventured into the hall. A few other people had, too. Some moved down the isle with slight injury and purpose toward the dining hall, but most of the people out just looked confused. She walked through the cars until she found ones with open widows looking out in the opposite direction the one in her and the kids' room did, the direction from whence they had come. Other people were gathered at it. She joined them, looking over their heads and could do nothing more than stare at what she saw.

The sunlight and the sand ended abruptly, in a straight line, as if the setting had been sawed off and placed beside another slice of a different environment; at the border, snow flurries vaporized when they entered the desert air. About three feet of snow, in a smooth, flat wall rose above the sand on that side, and though the sunlight hit it, it was not completely illuminated; on the snowy side, it was clearly night, as it should be. The stars and the bisected mountains, exposing all their caves and hollows, added to the surrealism of the picture. She wondered if she was dreaming and about to wake up.

After staring for a few minutes, she pulled her gaze away. Until proven otherwise, and she did not know exactly what would convince her now, she had to assume that this was no dream. She returned to the room. Steven and Connie were still staring out the window looking for something, maybe a landmark, to place where they were. They couldn't see the mountains from that window, and Garnet was not sure if that was a relief or not. As long as they were stuck here, they would not be going to Lucrene.

"What are we going to do?" Steven lamented.

"Stay," She said. "Wait until we know what's going on."

"But Lapis," Steven objected. "We can't stay here. We have to keep going." His voice was breaking.

"There will be other chances," Garnet stated. She doubted it was true, but she couldn't risk what was out there. For all she knew, this was what her mom was trying to warn her about. How she would have found out about something like this, she did not know, but there was no time to dwell on it now.

"When?" Connie murmured. She repeated herself more loudly, "When will there ever be another chance?"

"We-we could keep going!" Steven went on hopefully. "It's just sand. We're almost there, aren't we?"

"We are, but we can't go. It's not safe."

"What's not safe? It's just sand!" Connie insisted. "If we go straight north-"

"Why do we have to stay?" Steven demanded.

She didn't know how to begin explaining. She didn't know what to say. She didn't even have a real explanation. As much as she hated herself for it, she fell back on what her mothers had always said when they knew she would not understand. "Because I say so!" The statement came out louder than she meant it to, raised over their questions.

They stared up at her, wide-eyed and in shocked silence. Steven's lip quivered and she quickly turned and drew the blinds, submerging the room in dimness. "It's still the middle of the night. Go back to sleep." The sound of them climbing into bed only impacted her exhaustion. That yell felt like it had taken all the energy out of her. For now, they were safe. She slunk into bed, put her glasses aside, laid her arms over her eyes, and forced herself to sleep.

That didn't last long. The sound of voices outside their room woke her up. When she saw the door open, her heart felt tight with anxiety. A quick glance confirmed that the kids were not in bed and their pokemon were gone. Grabbing her glasses, she rushed out of the room. More people were in the halls now, but the sound of hooves striking the floor drew her attention; it was heading toward the back of the train. She pushed through the people in her way, far past the point of being polite. She could see Munchy, now, weaving through the crowd. On his back was a blanket-wrapped, Steven-shaped figure. "Stop!" People started at her voice and threw themselves out of her way. Still, she couldn't gain on the skiddo.

She expected Munchy to stop when they reached the end of the train. No such luck. He spun, bounced off the back door, and shot between Garnet's legs, narrowly escaping her grab. His horn ripped through the calf of her skinny jeans, but she ignored the damage and turned to run after him. Her heart was beating so fast, and her initial fear had turned into anger. Why couldn't they just listen to her?

Munchy twisted suddenly and skidded into a bedroom. Surely he would be cornered now. Ignoring the startled people in the bunks, she followed just in time to see the pokemon launch himself out the window. Clenching her teeth, she pushed it open farther and leapt after him. It was hard to get moving after landing in the sand; Munchy was lighter, and seemed to be able to bounce over the top of the sand. There was no way she would catch him like this. _If ever there is a time to be rash,_ she fumed, _then it's now._

She released Tiny, who looked down at her, unfazed by their new surroundings, and waited for her command. Garnet clambered up its arm. She got a firm grip before pointing at Munchy, who was shrinking steadily into the distance toward the snow and mountains. "Fly."

Tiny thundered and its markings and cracks glowed. Fire flared up beneath it, and it rose slowly at first. Then, staying only a few feet off the ground, it flew forward.

Munchy could run as fast as his legs would carry him, but in this chase, at least, he stood no chance of escaping. As the golurk's thunderous noise grew near, she could see him try to pick up pace, going from merely running away to sprinting in fear. He began to zig-zag, legs blurring from the speed they were moving. He let out a distressed bleat as Tiny reached out an arm.

It plucked Munchy off the ground. "Steven!" Garnet reprimanded, as it lifted him up. "You're-" She stopped when the blanket fluttered away in a sandy wind, revealing only Little Bud clinging to pillows with one arm and Munchy with the other.

* * *

"...You think Munchy and Little Bud are okay? Did... did we really need to trick Garnet like that?" Steven tried to step high enough that his feet didn't drag through the sand, but he was sinking enough that it was a chore. Pumpkaboo shuffled along beside him.

"She wasn't going to let us go," Connie said, also having difficulty in the terrain. "And... it's not like we're doing anything wrong. We just had to make sure we had enough time." The tail end of the sentence fell into a bit of a mumble.

"We'll go back to the train once we find Lapis," Steven clarified, talking as much for himself as he was for Connie.

"Yeah," she agreed.

He looked up into the sky, at the sun beating down. At first he thought that it was looking directly at it that made it look distorted, but when he squinted and looked more to the side, at the clear blue sky, he could make out that the sun really wasn't round. It looked like someone had been trying to draw a circle, but their hand was shaky. He looked away and blinked the spots out of his eyes, unsure what to think. Maybe the sun just always looked like that over Lucrene. He was about to ask Connie about it when the wind picked up. Raising an arm, he shielded his eyes from the sandstorm. When he saw Pumpkaboo struggling, too, he hurried over to her and took out the bundled up blanket they had taken from the train car. He wrapped it around her face and the egg on her head curl, which seemed to bother her just as much, but at least her eyes wouldn't be hurt by the sand.

He and Connie leaned into the wind and sand as they led Pumpkaboo through it. All at once, it ended. Connie fell forward, landing in mud.

"Are you okay?" Steven gasped. He sunk in to his shins as he hurried forward and pulled her up.

The mud made a wet _shlup_ noise as she pulled her hands out of it, her face twisted in disgust. "Yeah... What's going on?" she demanded as she slicked the junk off of herself. Looking back, they saw desert behind them. It ended all at once, in a straight line. Even the dusky weeping willows of the swamps looked like they had been trimmed at the boundary. The sky was dimmer over the wetland, thick with dark clouds. The sand was raging in a storm on the other side, but only sprinkled down on the swamp they had just entered.

"I don't know." Steven murmured. He pulled his eyes away from the border between the two territories and examined the new environment they had entered. Huddled under the the willows, where their roots were high enough out of the mud for them to stay dry, were groups of long-haired pokemon with small tusks. They laid on the roots, hardly moved, their bodies heaving from deep, tired breaths of warm, muggy air. "What are those?"

Connie followed his gaze. "The smaller ones are swinub, and the other ones are..." she thought for a moment. "Pile... piloswine. They're supposed to live in the mountains, with the snow and stuff."

He frowned at the tired pokemon. "They must be really uncomfortable." When Connie did not respond, he looked back at her. "Lucrene City is supposed to be in the mountains, isn't it?"

She nodded. "This isn't what I thought would be here. Maybe... maybe it's... climate change, or something." she trailed off again, unsure.

The desert and the swamp looked pretty flat. It just didn't make sense; even if the weather was different, surely the mountains would still be there. The way the different environments were divided, too, seemed unnatural to him. "What... what do you think Team Crystal is looking for? Sadie said they might be doing something to the environment..."

"They're supposed to be environmentalists. If that's true, they'd be trying to fix things, not mess them up."

He frowned back at her. "Well... they're the bad guys, aren't they?"

"I mean... yeah. But bad guys are usually bad guys for a reason." They continued through the mud, trying to stay where it was shallow. "I don't know why they'd just wreck things like this."

Steven was quiet, thoughtful for a while. Finally, he responded dully "I don't know, either."

And so they continued on, the mud taking too much concentration to wade through for them to talk anymore. Pumpkaboo let out a startled _"Boo!"_ as she lost her balanced and nearly slid down a muddy slope. Steven lunged for her and grabbed her, and Connie grabbed him. Together they pulled her up. Thick, brackish water glared up at them from below; the mud pit looked like a death trap, and it promised to be one; a massive, tusked pokemon was deep inside. Despite its size, it had to fight to keep its nose above water. Its eyes lacked the luster of frustration or even desperation, and though the fact that it was coated from head to toe suggested that it had fought its hardest to escape, it looked resigned now, only moving to reach its nose above the surface and steal another gasp of air.

"We have to save it," Steven breathed before he thought it.

"The mamoswine? How?" Connie responded. She wasn't disagreeing, but looking around, honestly trying to figure out _how_ the two kids would possibly move a pokemon that weighed much more than them combined. The water around its snout bubbled as it looked up at them, weary.

"Maybe if we all worked together, with Archimicarus and Spring and Autumn... We would need a rope or something."

Connie released her pokemon and directed Archimicarus to cut a branch from one of the willows. The branch was long, flexible, and strong enough. Connie held one end as Spring flew it around the wild mamoswine. The ninjask placed the other end in Steven's hand, and they all got in position. "Ready? One, two, pull!"

Together, they heaved on the rope. The mamoswine snorted, which stirred up the water, and moved its legs slowly in the mud. Even with all of them giving their all, it just slipped down the slopes of the pit and back into the water, sucking in and spewing out a noseful of the sludge. Their feet slipped on the soft ground, nearly dragging them all in after it before they released the branch and let the wood drop into the mud. The piloswine around them were watching, but in the relative heat there was little they could do.

Breathing hard and rubbing his sore hands together, he looked to Connie. She was staring down at the pokemon, her lips pursed. "I don't know."

"Maybe if we had a lighter branch-" he paused at a vaguely familiar sound- drawn out thunder. Both children and pokemon turned their gazes skyward. Tiny lowered itself gently onto the ground.

It was too late to hide or run. Garnet dropped off of its back, and not seeming to notice her feet sinking into the mud, pointed her sunglasses at them. There was a rip at the shin of her jeans, and around it the denim was a deep red. Her fingers curled and uncurled into her palms and her entire body was tense. When she spoke, it was through clenched teeth. Even though she was talking slowly, they did not dare interrupt her. "Connie. Steven. We are going back to the train. Now."

Steven hung his head. "We-we came out here to find Lapis."

Her shoulders rose and fell as she took a deep breath. "I will _not_ put her safety before both of yours."

"But we... we..." He couldn't get the words out of his mouth. Didn't they all already know it was dangerous? Wasn't that _why_ it was so important?

Connie looked just as stuck about the whole scenario. "Well," she finally stuttered. "Can we at least save this pokemon?" She pointed down into the pit.

Garnet hesitated to take her eyes off them, but turned to look at it. The tension in her shoulders relaxed slightly, but she was still on guard. "Fine."

"Okay, let's... let's get another rope," Connie told Archimicarus. They recreated their previous attempt, now with Garnet, Tyrone, and Chip helping them pull it up. Tiny slid into the pit, which made both Steven and Connie anxious, but it did not have the long hair that the mamoswine did, and it seemed to move more easily through the mud. With all of their strength combined, they hauled the pokemon out. It swung its tusks, snorted, and stomped in its new found freedom. Trumpeting loudly it charged at the small crowd of smaller creatures that had helped it, sliding to a stop right in front of them. The threat seemed to be enough, because after that, it shook itself off and walked into the shade to join the piloswine. They welcomed it back with lazy nose-nuzzling, and it laid itself down under the willows.

Garnet returned her pokemon, and Connie did the same. Taking each of the children's hands, she began leading them back toward the desert-swamp border.

Steven was quiet for a long while. Finally, he spoke up "...Munchy and Little Bud-?"

"In our room," Garnet answered. She did not say anymore, but her grip on his hand tightened.

The feeling reminded him of when Lapis had pulled him away from Connie. She had acted a lot like this, and she had fear in her eyes when he did. Suddenly, he felt sick. "G-Garnet..."

She stopped when he stumbled and clung to her leg. He could feel his face beading with sweat, felt her put her hand against his forehead. "You're okay."

He just stared at the ground. They were sliding. At first he thought it was because of how bad he felt, but he saw her feet were sliding in the mud, too. He pinched his eyes shut.

She picked him up and they continued despite the tilting. He wondered if they noticed. He felt Garnet stop, but he didn't open his eyes until Connie demanded "Where is it?"

Where there had been desert, now it was stony crags and paths, all shapes of gray under a bright, full moon. It was even more obvious where they met the swamp; they cliffs were cut through and showing different colorful layers of stone. Despite another jarring change in setting, Steven's nausea faded.

Setting him down, Garnet released her pokemon. "Tiny, find the train." It flew up. A few minutes later, it returned. Its head turned back and forth with the quiet rubbing of stone against stone. Garnet's lips pressed into a thin line.

"What do we do?" Connie asked, tugging at her jacket.

"...We keep going." She huffed as she stepped up onto the nearest rocky path, about two feet above the soft ground of the swamp. Turning back to them, she held out her hands.

Connie and Steven exchanged a look with one another before each taking a hand and following after her.


	17. Chapter 17

She stepped down the stairs. The sun had not yet risen over hills in the vine-lined windows, and the sky was just starting to lighten to a pale pink. The small clink of a dish enlightened her to the presence of another person in the house. A nervous flutter awoke in her stomach. Placing her feet carefully, she made her way to the kitchen. The thin, red-haired woman was staring into her teacup, with subtle rings under her eyes.

Lapis swallowed before addressing her. "Did... did you think about what I said? Did you remember anything?"

Pearl ran her fingertip around the lip of the cup, quiet for a while. "I still don't believe you. I feel like I'm losing my mind trying." She shook her head. "Enough of that. What did you tell him about Rose?"

Sighing, she placed her hands on the back of the chair facing the woman. "I didn't. I didn't tell him about her at all. He didn't even ask until we came to the city."

"What did you say?"

She looked away. "I told him about the bad things his mother did... before you could remember, but I didn't tell him about her now."

Pearl's gaze shifted up from her glass. "What do you think Rose is doing now?"

"She's terrorizing people, putting them in danger." Of this, Lapis was sure. Her voice rose as she spoke of things she could confidently site. "Lucrene City's Museum, Firnapier Town's Zoo... I don't know what you were doing in Seesea," she conceded, "But the way you were talking... It's all for power, isn't it?"

"... You think you know a lot about her, but you don't." Her nose wrinkled as she looked back down to her glass. "Everything she's doing, the image she's making for herself now- It's all for the greater good. Maybe you could have come to understand that if you tried."

"Just because she thinks she's doing the right thing, it doesn't mean that she is. She's..." she stammered as she worked to voice the thought properly. "I know she thinks what she's doing is helping someone or something, but she's hurting people, too! Steven can't be in the middle of that."

"We would have done as much as you to keep him safe, more even. We would have known _how._ "

She could feel anger building in her chest. This argument wasn't going anywhere. Lapis took a breath. She tried to backtrack. "What are you trying to do? What are you keeping him safe from?"

Despite Pearl's clear fatigue, she could see the older woman thinking, weighing out what information could be shared.

Crossing her arms, Lapis waited patiently.

"This..." Pearl began, "has been going on for much longer than we've been trying to prevent it," she said. "Since the Industrial Revolution, one could guess. Something very important to life on earth is unraveling." Her brow furrowed. "If we can't find a way to stop it, and soon, we don't want Steven anywhere near it. We don't want anyone-"

They both flinched as her phone rang out. The house fell silent in the moment that Pearl lifted it to her ear, not even needing to glance at the name for verification. "Yes, Rose?"

Lapis strained to hear what was being said on the other side of the speaker: _'...Lost communication... Something's wrong.'_

* * *

There was an uncomfortable amount of bounce in Puff's step. The arcanine was diving through the snowdrifts, snapping at flying clumps of snow and ice. He braced for each pounce so that he did not slide too far, and Jasper seemed to be able to read enough of a rhythm in his movements that she easily anticipated his playing and leaned into his jumps, but Peridot just hung onto his mane for dear life.

A ringing, barely audible with the wind blowing, started up. She hesitantly adjusted her grip to check if it was coming from her tablet. The addition of a second sound, another alarm layering over the ringing, cleared up the thought. A third layer of noise assured her, if she had any doubt before, that the ruckus was from Jasper's buggy device. At this point, Jasper had to know, too, and it was just getting louder.

Jasper pulled the thing from its pouch, surely muttering a string of curses that were swallowed up by the alarms. "WHAT?" It quieted down.

Peridot glanced back, squinting her eyes as the air grew suddenly hot and dry. Puff shuffled his paws beneath him for a moment before picking up his pace again. "Jasper..."

Jasper had her eyes on her tablet, squinted against the glare of the newly apparent sun. "It's saying we entered a quarantined zone," she huffed. "I thought you fixed it." She looked up from it, and her brow furrowed. "What the..."

"Should we turn back?" Looking behind them-and in every other direction, for that matter- desert stretched far into the distance. However, wavering in the heated air, she thought she could make out mountains on the horizon.

As Jasper looked around, Puff slowed. "... No, We're not stopping," she growled. Spurred on by the utterance, the arcanine took to a gallop again. Jasper slid her table back into its pouch, and it raised no more alarms as they continued.

…

Jasper had wrapped one of the blankets over her face and one over Puff's when the wind picked up and whipped the sand at them. Peridot pulled her headscarf over her face and buried her head in Puff's mane again. Despite their sparse surroundings, they proceeded more carefully because of this. Puff paused at the top of a dune, panting into the train blanket. He crouched and Peridot tensed in preparation for him to hop down.

As soon as his paws left the sand, she felt a heavy sinking feeling. She thought she was too sensitive, that the drop was only slightly longer than she expected, but that changed when they hit the ground. The moment seemed to be in slow motion for long enough to her to reason out that from the sound Puff made when he hit, a loud thud, that it was not sand. It was also enough time for her to note to herself that this made absolutely no sense. Then everything returned to normal and she was thrown from his back as he fell and rolled, paw over nose, across the cool stone ground. When she came to, if she had been out at all, she was sprawled across the floor of a canyon. She couldn't tell how much time had passed, but she saw Puff climbing to his feet and shaking off, so she guessed that despite the scrapes and bruises, she had not been knocked out.

A sharp but bearable pain shot through her right wrist a she pushed herself upright, and her shoulder on that side was badly bruised. Her left leg, too, was scraped and battered. She guessed her hip would be bluing as she stood, but nothing was broken, at least. She flexed her wrist, wincing until she became accustomed to the pain.

She was about to congratulate herself for her level of composure when a sudden panic hit her. She pulled her tablet from its pouch at her hip. "Watan?" she peeped, tapping the cracked screen. It's green avatar greeting her as the screen lit up earned a loud gasp of relief.

Your files are safe, Peridot.

She let out a short breath of a laugh that struck her as hysterical, given the situation. The porygon's face momentarily blinked to a smile before returning to normal. She returned her tablet to her pouch and turned back toward where they had fallen.

It wasn't until Puff whimpered that she realize how quiet Jasper was being. She hadn't commented on the fall, on Peridot checking on Watan before her, or on the sudden change of environment. She hadn't said anything at all. "Jasper?"

Buff Puff's nose was toward the ground, nudging something, and it didn't even occur to Peridot until he rose his head and she could actually see it that it was Jasper. She was lying on her back, looking like a rag doll that had been dropped that way. Her head was turned away from Peridot, and her face and neck was hidden by her long hair.

"Jasper!" She rushed to the fallen officer's side and dropped to her knees. Her heart was pounding in her ears too loudly for her to think of what to do until she saw Jasper's chest rising and falling. She could feel Puff's hot breath on her shoulder as she looked for any obvious breaks. She was afraid to move Jasper at all, but she convinced herself to tug her hair out of the way. She ran a finger down her neck; it wasn't bruised at all. In fact, Jasper looked like she was in better condition than Peridot was, herself. She wished she could take comfort in that.

Gulping, she put a hand on Jasper's cheek and turned her head toward herself. She saw the way the strands of her hair were sticking together with blood before she saw the wound. She nearly dropped Jasper's face back on the stone. "Oh no, oh no, no no no." She pinched her eyes shut and sucked in several quick, ineffective breaths. _Get yourself together, Peridot! It looks worse than it is. Head wounds bleed a lot. You know that._ When she opened her eyes, she had to convince herself all over again. She looked around for the blankets, or a stream, anything to clean the wound, really. She could hear running water. Pulling the blanket off of Puff's face, she hurried off to find it.

And immediately doubled back. She couldn't leave Jasper alone. What if things changed again. They couldn't get separated.

She found Buff Puff licking Jasper's wounds clean. With a small squeak of distress, she shooed the canine away. He hovered as she pulled Jasper's face into her lap. With most of the blood cleared away, she could see the gash and the swelling at the left side of her forehead, dangerously close to her temple. She flushed it with hand sanitizer, the best disinfectant she had with her. Jasper's nose wrinkled and she let out a quiet groan. Peridot took that as a good sign as she wrapped her head in the blanket.

Puff's eyes, ears, and nose, had not turned away from her his trainer the entire time. He began panting with stress as Peridot struggled to lift Jasper. "Come on," she whined. "Puff, Come." He drew near and crouched. She tried her best to be gentle as she shoved Jasper onto his back. Breathing hard, she climbed up too. Desert, cliffs, or mountains, they couldn't be far from Lucrene, now. They just had to get there. She squeezed the Arcanine's sides as Jasper would have. "G-go, Puff!" The sound of his paws plodding the ground echoed off the stone walls around them as they started off.

* * *

Steven kept having to pull his eyes away from the gash on Garnet's calf to stop himself from stumbling. He couldn't see a limp in her stride, but the bottom half of her pant leg looked burgundy where her blood was drying, and around the tear the discolored denim had a wet gleam.

"Are... you okay?" Connie asked quietly. After several uncomfortable moments filled with the sound of their footsteps bouncing through the cliffs, she spoke up. "Garn-"

"I'm fine."

Connie bit her lip. They continued on quietly. The rocky walls and outcroppings told them that they were not going in circles, but little else.

Garnet tensed and her grip on his hand tightened. They stopped abruptly. Steven was about to open his mouth to ask why when she jerked the children back and dragged them into a wide crack in the stone face. Pumpkaboo peeped and hurriedly crouched in front of the crevice, trying to look as small as possible.

A metallic blue pokemon with glowing red eyes and a steel 'x' across its face glided past them. Two tall women and two short were riding on its back. Their outfits looked familiar, but the pokemon moved so quickly that he could not place them: just the fact that they were bundled up, as if against the cold. It zoomed around a ridge and disappeared from sight. Pumpkaboo turned her body to watch them go.

Garnet, Steven, and Connie were all silent for a moment. In Garnet's jacket, one of her pokeballs was shaking. She put her hand over it as she slid out of the crevice. Steven and Connie followed after her.

"That was-" Connie began. Before she could finish, Chip freed himself from Garnet's pokeball. Letting out a jubilant cry, he bounded after the the gliding pokemon.

"Chip!" Garnet barked. Gritting her teeth, she turned to the kids. "Don't move." She loped forward.

Connie and Steven only hesitated for a moment, stunned that Garnet's pokemon would disobey her like that, before darting after her. "Wait!" They were as interested in seeing these people as they were uncomfortable being alone in the unpredictable terrain. The strangers lacked the uniforms of police, anyway, which was the the only group Steven knew they were avoiding.

As they rounded the corner, Steven's feet almost flew out from under him. Slipping on the pebbles, he slapped his hands onto the ground. He paused for a moment as he looked over the stone. Pebbles were rolling across the flat ground, as if downhill. Pumpkaboo let out a distressed holler as she nearly rolled past him. He grabbed onto one of her faux wings before she could hit the near wall.

"Look," Connie was pointing at a tall stone tower a distance ahead. The thing looked warped, almost like it was stretched and curling the farther up it went, and from the strange architecture, missing bricks, and cracking walls, it must be extremely old. Chip scuffled through its wide, crumbling doorway with Garnet close behind.

Tugging Pumpkaboo behind him, he followed Connie toward the strange spire. Connie gripped the nearest protruding brick and looked through. The building was ringing with an ominous, synchronized _THUNK... THUNK... THUNK..._ Pumpkaboo leaned in the doorway, gasping for breath. Steven made sure she was alright before looking through. The inside of the building gave no indication of the curling they could see from outside and the only fixtures in the tower was a spiral staircase with no railing and open center. It all looked as if it was trying to smash itself apart; every pebble, loose stone, and crumbling brick would float up and hurl itself straight down, knocking whatever was below it apart. _THUNK._ Over and over again, like the building was skipping rope.

"We have to go after Garnet," Steven whimpered.

Connie stared at him with wide, scared eyes.

"She's hurt!" When Connie just stood, frozen, he turned to Pumpkaboo, and gently patted the egg she was holding. "Stay here. I'll be back soon." The ghost type didn't look like she was going to move anyway. She watched him begin up the stairs, diving through the falling stones, only to feel weightless as they rose again.

"Watch out!" Connie shoved him out of the air and against the wall as everything dropped again; the spot he had just been was pelted with bricks. "Hurry!" As things began to rise, she grabbed his hand and leapt across the open center. The apparent lack of gravity carried them up farther than they could have ran. They only had time to grip the edge, though, and turned their eyes down, thankful that the only thing above them here was a spray of pebbles. They hauled themselves up again, looking more carefully now for a place to land. Connie quickly found the best timing for each jump, and they were almost to the top when Garnet saw them coming.

She had caught Chip, who was still wiggling in excitement. "Get out of here!" she yelled down at the children.

"But-" Before Steven could object, everything was thrown down again. Chip burst out of Garnet's hold and expanded a light barrier over her, shielding her from the falling debris. He bounced off the barrier and sprang toward the light at the top of the tower. Garnet punched soundlessly against the barrier and her fist glanced off, making both Connie and Steven cringe. They continued up, hoping the roof of the tower would be safer than the inside.

"I told you to stay," Garnet growled, as they reached where the barrier had stopped her. It was fading now, and she stood aside as the falling stones smashed it for good. "Stay close," she added, perhaps realizing that it was too late for them to go back. Together, they bounded the last few yards into the light.

The air was cool and thin. The roof of the building was rumbling, but not in tune with the destruction inside. It hummed in a deep, angry, ancient voice that Steven could not understand.

This unnerved Chip, and he ducked his head down, peering around nervously as he trotted forward. Garnet froze at the top, and they could see why now; across from them on the stone roof, they could clearly make out the two taller women who had been on the gliding pokemon. The two were lowering a glass box over a pedestal that seemed to be the resting place of a strange glowing orb. A third, on of the shorter women was watching them. They could only see the back of her head.

"It's Team Crystal," Connie whispered.

Steven gulped. This was who they had been looking for. He tried to think of what to say. It should have been easy, he thought.

Chip let out a scared peep as an exceptional rumble shook the building. He scampered to the shorter woman and pushed his head under her arm. Steven and Connie crouched lower as she turned in surprise, but Garnet did not move. The kids could not understand why until they heard the woman speak.

"Chip?" Sapphire uttered. "What are you..." Her hands had already found her way to her pockets, digging for some treat to give him, when she saw Garnet. Her lips stayed parted, holding the shape of the syllable she had last spoken.

Steven saw Garnet clench her jaw. For a while they were just staring back at each other.

The glass clicked over the pedestal and the ancient voice fell silent, trapped inside. The thin, cool air became freezing, and snow whipped through the air. Around them were snowcaps, as far as one could see.

The tallest woman there turned toward them, her wild hair whipping in the cold wind. The gliding pokemon appeared from the pokeball in her hand in a flash of red light. "Metagross-"

"Alexandrite, no." Sapphire interrupted, putting out a hand. Broken from her apparent stasis, she said more quietly, stepping forward: "Garnet, honey, what happened to your leg? Are you okay?"

"Stay away from me!" Garnet snapped. "You're part of Team Crystal." Her hands clenched at her sides. Steven could see her shoulders rising and falling as she breathed hard.

He stared at Sapphire, really looked at her. She _was_ part of Team Crystal. For some reason, even though she was standing right there, Crystal Sapphire and his 'Grandma' Sapphire still seemed like different people in his mind.

Sapphire drew back, biting her thumb nail. Chip nuzzled her hand, trying to regain her attention and get her to relax. "Garnet..."

"You lied to me!"

"No, w- I did, but I was just trying to protect you. Please listen-"

"Why should I listen to you?" she demanded, shaking her head in indignation.

" _Please,"_ Sapphire urged as she stepped slowly toward them. "Just let me explain. I promise-"

Garnet released one of her pokemon haphazardly, just to put something between her and her mother. Sapphire was forced to stumble back as Tiny appeared between them. A furious grimace on her lips, Garnet began to began to back down the stairs.

"But Garnet," Connie murmured. "What about Lapis?"

Garnet took a breath and rose her voice. "Where is Lapis Lazuli?"

Her daughter's tone was still angry, but Sapphire looked up, hopeful when she was addressed. Her face fell when she heard the question, though. "I... I don't know." She glanced skyward at the sound of propellers whirling. Steven followed her gaze to see a large helicopter flying toward them, its spotlight drifting back and forth through the snow. "Come with us," Sapphire encouraged, reaching out her hand. "It's not safe here and we can help you."

"But-but you're..." Connie muttered, her voice dying down as the helicopter stopped at a hover above them, pinning them in the spotlight.

A ladder lowered down behind Sapphire. "Come on, Sapphire" the woman she had called Alexandrite insisted, holding the glass box, the pedestal, and the orb together under one arm. She disappeared into the aircraft. The remaining woman put a hand on Sapphire's shoulder, trying to turn her toward the plane. "We have to go."

"I can't leave Garnet here!" Sapphire insisted. "Honey, please," she begged, her voice catching in her throat. "You need to come with me." Chip waggled his body, not liking the tension

Garnet grabbed each of the kids' hands. Steven could feel her pulse pounding. "No." Sapphire's lip quivered, and she opened her mouth again but she didn't get the chance to speak. "Earthquake!"

Tiny spread its hands out. The woman standing over Sapphire's eyes widened in panic. She grabbed the ladder in one hand, and wrapped the other around Sapphire's waist as the ground shattered out from under them. Steven wrapped his free arm around Garnet's leg as the tower shook violently. Chip disappeared from sight with a startled cry, swallowed up by debris. His feet churned the air as the ground beneath him cracked and fell away. Connie and Steven screamed as they all fell toward the earth.

The last thing he saw was the helicopter light swaying back and forth as it rose away.


	18. Chapter 18

The freezing descended upon Lion, free of the fury that had permeated every other surrounding before him. This must be the true identity of the place where his littermate had been taken. He ruffled his fur, flared his mane, and steeled himself to the wind. There was no trail here, nothing to tell him where to go. The cold nipped at his paws as he stood, glaring through the gathering snow. It was growing thicker, unpiercable. Crouching to protect himself from the rain of ice, he let out a frustrated jet of flame.

Above the sound of the whipping wind, wings churned the air. He looked up. Riding away from the descending snow wall, as if on a wave, one of his mother's flying hollow bodies. He watched it grow larger and pass over him, then shrink away. With great regret, and before the cold could claim him, he ran in search of shelter from the storm.

* * *

Ruby had been pacing across the landing pad in Beach City for hours, where she had insisted she be when Rose said she could not go to Lucrene's ruins. Her heart pounded as she saw the helicopter appear in the distance, unsure whether it was too soon to be relieved or not. She stood back, rocking from foot to foot as it landed. Alexandrite was the first out, with the artifact. She looked satisfied. Opal looked less pleased, and she stepped out slowly before checking behind her.

Ruby let out a breath as Sapphire followed Opal out. Her wife looked exhausted, though she guessed no one else would notice that about her. The telltales were small: a slight sag in her shoulders, the way she walked with a tad less grace, and a certain look in her eye. Ruby rushed forward and wrapped her arms around her quickly, kissing her cheek before pulling away and looking her in the eye. "What happened? Even Rose lost track of you all! I thought something awful was going on."

"I need to talk to Rose," Sapphire murmured, her voice monotonous.

Ruby's brow furrowed. She nodded, and the two walked hand in hand into the Team Crystal home base.

"We did recover the artifact, and once it is in permanent containment, we will not have any more problems," Opal was explaining to Rose. "We have both now."

Rose nodded, looking relieved. "Then, nothing went wrong, even when we lost contact?"

"The anomalies were considerably stronger than I estimated, but everything is back to normal now." She glanced at her hands out of habit, but she had not made any more notes on the trip back. "That's not exactly all, though."

Sapphire stepped in. "The spire was destroyed, so it will be impossible to return the artifact. The recordings, our findings, and all the information from our camp was left behind. We need to go back."

Rose shook her head apologetically. "We hardly got you out in time to avoid a blizzard. The helicopters will not be able to return until the storm is over."

Ruby felt Sapphire's grip tighten slightly on her hand. Her wife's voice still held on to a coolness. "You don't understand. Garnet, our daughter, is there."

Rose's eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hand.

"Garnet?" Ruby squeaked. Breathing hard, she jerked her hand out of Sapphire's grip and pulled her phone from her pocket. She looked at the messages she had sent the night before. "No! She- she said she- she can't! Sapphire-!" She clutched her by the shoulders, flinging her phone in the process. "That's not true! Tell me you're- you're joking!" Sapphire kept her eyes on Rose, hardly reacting as Ruby shook her. _How could she be so calm?!_

Rose swallowed, one fist curled tightly at her side. "There's nothing we can do."

Ruby felt like she was going to be sick. She released Sapphire, whipping around an accusatory gaze at the others in the room; Alexandrite was already gone, moving the orb to a more permanent container, but Opal bore the full brunt of her furious glare. The taller woman looked to be staring through her, though; she was wearing her own look of worry and regret, similar but unrelated to what Sapphire and Ruby were going through.

"Garnet is not defenseless," Sapphire said quietly to Ruby. "She'll be okay."

 _She doesn't even sound convinced_ , Ruby thought, but maybe she was projecting. She just shook her head and pinched her eyes shut. She could not deal with this, not at all.

"I have another thing I need to ask you," Sapphire said.

"Yes?" Rose answered, her voice saying that she was willing to do anything in that moment to help them. Ruby felt bitter thinking that. She wasn't going to save Garnet.

"Who is Lapis Lazuli?"

There was an uncomfortable moment of silence between them. Ruby looked up at her, her hands balls into angry fists. She knew it wasn't fair to think of this as Rose's fault. If anything, it was her own. However, every second the woman hesitated, Ruby grew angrier.

"She... is the woman who stole my son, Steven, from me when he was very young." She took a deep breath. "Where did you hear of her?"

"I... can't say," Sapphire answered, her voice so calm that Ruby found it jarring compared to her own inner turmoil. "Why have we never heard of her or Steven before?"

"I did not want to use Team Crystal for my own personal needs. I never stopped looking for him, but..." the words sounded painful to her. "Our mission must come first. If it fails... I will never see him again, anyway."

Sapphire had figured something out that Ruby had not; looking at her wife's calm demeanor, she knew that. There was no way to know _what_ that was until she said it.

Slowly, Sapphire nodded. "Please excuse Ruby and I. We have a lot to discuss."

* * *

Everything was dark, but he could still feel Garnet squeezing his hand and the way she shifted as she sat up. He could hear Connie whimper. He gasped and hugged Garnet as the stone above them shifted, but it lifted straight up and, as light filtered through, he was relieved to see that it was Tiny's hand. Lifting from where it had protected them from the fall sent a shower of stone dust over them. Steven blinked it out of his eyes and looked around. No one seemed hurt from the fall; even Chip was climbing up from the stones and shaking himself off without a scratch. Tiny returned to its pokeball.

"Pumpkaboo?" Steven called out as he stood. She was the only one he could not find. Garnet released his hand and he picked his way over the stones in the direction he thought the entrance to the spire had been. "Pumpkaboo!"

Connie soon joined him in looking, the cold, wind, and snow giving them urgency. "Over here!" She called out after a couple minutes.

Teeth chattering, he hurried over and helped pull the shivering pokemon out of the deep snow. Pumpkaboo shook herself off, but the snow was falling quickly enough to settle back on her and her egg. Connie reached out and took the egg, putting it down her shirt for at least some more protection. Pumpkaboo was too cold to object.

"Come on," Garnet said. They could hardly see her, but they stumbled toward her voice, tugging Pumpkaboo after them. She led them between two walls of snow. It was falling so thick overhead that the light of the moon and stars, which had been enough to see by a few minutes earlier, were blotted out. The only light was Chip's soft glow as he continued to push a path through the snow ahead of them.

" _Ama!_ " Chip peeped, looking back at them. He continued babbling at them as they ducked through a hole in a smooth rock wall. The amaura's light only dimly illuminated the inside of a long stone temple. There was a hint of the wind and a few stray snowflakes reaching them from the far end of the structure, which was open to the storm, but piloswine huddled all around the building blocked out the worst of the wind. A lone mamoswine rose when they entered, preparing to charge, but after a moment of observation and recognition, it settled back down among its herd. Chip bounced among the stone pillars, clearly proud of himself for finding them shelter. Connie and Garnet both pulled out their cellphone lights, and Garnet returned Chip before he could tire himself out.

"W-w-where are w-we?" Steve murmured. Though he spoke quietly, his voice echoed off the walls. Beside the pillars, the only fixtures were a large altar and a set of stairs descending into the ground behind it. The walls, however, were decorated with intricate carvings. He walked along the edge of the room, looking at the art. It looked like a story about three giant creatures, but the words around the images were in a language he could not understand.

Connie walked beside him as he examined the images. "Th-the rest of L-Lucrene's ruins," she guessed. "That t-t-tower couldn't have b-been it."

He nodded in agreement, wrapping his arms around himself for warmth. They followed the walls around the altar end of the room, looking for the conclusion of the story, or what they could gather from it. Though he could not make sense of what was in between, at the end only two creatures were left, each curled within a circle.

"We can't stay here," Garnet announced. As if in reply, there was a flutter from the stairs. The kids were too far away from Garnet for her to hide them. All of them were out in the open when the pokemon making the noise ascended. Their phone lights landed on the flying pokemon and reflected off of its three blue eyes. The color matched stripes on its feather and tail, alongside red and yellow.

"Sigilyph," Connie whispered, recognizing it from her reading. The pokemon turned toward her, glowing blue. She reached for a pokeball quickly, and Steven saw Garnet do the same, but before either of their pokemon could be released, sigilyph shot a wave of blue energy at each of them. From its topmost eye at Connie, and pivoting its body to shoot at Garnet. He tried to pull Connie out of the way, but only managed to be thrown across the floor with her. Remnants of the attack flowed against the walls, not harming the stone at all. Connie sat up and patted the egg under her shirt to check that it was not broken before extending the pokeball still firmly clutched in her hand. "Archimicarus, quick attack!" The ball shook, but nothing came out. "Archimicarus!" Connie cried out again. She looked desperately at the pokeball, only to find it rendered broken by a long crack on its side.

The sigilyph drifted nearer, unfazed as Connie pulled out another pokeball. Every one was broken. In the light of her dropped phone, Steven could see Garnet coming to the same conclusion with her own team. A deep, echoing hum snapped his attention back to the attacking pokemon. It was glowing again.

" _Puboo!"_ Pumpkaboo cried out, flinging a series of razor leaves sigilyph.

Announcing the razor leaf proved unhelpful, as the sigilyph caught the leaves with a psychic attack, lifting Connie and Steven in the way.

Steven felt the air pushed out his lungs as the pokemon used its power to squeeze him and Connie. She let out a strangled yelp.

A protective snort drew the sigilyph's attention; it turned all its eyes to something behind them, but it did not release them. Steven's vision was starting to blur when Garnet appeared from the corner of his vision, throwing her entire body weight in a punch that collided with the ancient pokemon loudly. It was sent twisting through the air, completely surprised and struggling to right itself. The children dropped to the ground gasping in the cold air.

Sigilyph steadied itself and aimed at Garnet, a concentrated ball blue light forming before it. Before it could fire, mamoswine rammed its head into it, flinging it across the temple and onto the ground. Sigilyph whipped its wings, and the cold air flew at the mamoswine with cutting force, bisecting the larger pokemon's ice beam and sending it to either side of the flying type.

Steven could see how hard Garnet was breathing from the cloud of vapor in front of her mouth. "Underground. Now," she insisted, pulling him and Connie to her feet. She pushed them toward the steps. "Pumpkaboo!" she called out, leaning a hand on the altar.

The ghost type was trying her best to reach them while avoiding the larger fighting pokemon. Sliding on the ice left behind from the ice beam attack, she passed uncomfortable close between the two of them and jumped toward the steps, rolling down them gracelessly. She quickly got to her feet and waddled after them. Connie shined her phone light ahead of them as they all shuffled down the hall. As the sound of fighting died away, they slowed, but it was a while before they stopped.

Garnet took an awkward, clumsy step toward the edge of the hall, her hand landing at the edge of a doorway. They had passed several, but this one led to a cave, which contrasted drastically with the smooth carved walls of the temple's underground halls. The cave went on farther than they could see.

"Let's rest here," Connie suggested, looking into it. "Sigilyph only patrol their t-territory. If it comes back, then maybe it w-won't go this way."

Steven nodded. She did not have to give any explanation to him. He felt cold and exhausted. They stepped into the cave, put a bit of distance between them and the door, and found a place to settle. Steven and Connie sat down on the stone floor, shivering. Garnet leaned her back against the wall and sunk to the ground. Her glasses were cracked, and pieces were even falling out of the frame at one side, but she did not remove them. "Here," she said, pulling off her leather jacket. She extended it toward them.

Steven hesitated, and he exchanged a look with Connie.

"Take it," Garnet commanded. She dropped it and leaned her head back on the wall, her chest slowly rising and falling with her breaths. "There's food there, too." Pumpkaboo waddled over and settled next to Garnet, resting under her arm.

Connie set her phone on the ground, light up, and plucked the jacket off the ground. "It's... really warm," she noted. Looking up at Steven, she suggested. "We can take turns."

Steven nodded. "You have it first."

Connie considered this but finally pulled it on, looking grateful. She pulled a bottle smoothie drink out of the pocket and extended the drink toward him. "You have this, then."

"I'm not hungry," Steven murmured. His stomach was too shaken up from everything to have anything in it.

"Neither am I," she insisted. "And someone should drink it. Garnet?"

The older girl shook her head.

"I really think you should have it, Garnet," Steven insisted. She had been through a lot. She deserved something good at least.

Again, she shook her head.

"I got it _for_ _you._ " Connie insisted, holding it out toward her. She let out a yelp as a vine whipped out of the darkness deeper in the cave and curled around the bottle. She gripped it with both hands as it pulled on the bottle, unwilling to let it go. "Hey!" It jerked Connie forward.

Garnet lunged and snatched the vine. She pulled on it hard, dragging a viney mass from the shadows. The pokemon writhed as Garnet grabbed at the center of the mass. Its blue vines flailed, but it could not escape her grip. She lifted it off the ground as she stood.

"Stop it!" A girl, younger than Garnet, but older than Steven and Connie, threw herself at Garnet, her fists whirling at the taller girl gracelessly.

Garnet grabbed her by the jacket with other hand and, lifting her off the ground, slammed her against the wall. "Who are you?!" Garnet demanded. When she did not immediately respond, she thumped the girl against the wall again. "What are you doing here?!"

"Don't hurt her!" Steven cried out. He ran up to Garnet and grabbed her arm, pulling at it in hopes of getting her to let them go.

Without a word, Garnet dropped the pokemon and its trainer. She turned away, the missing pieces in her glasses revealing an intense glare. She sat back down against the wall with her arms crossed, breathing hard from the experience.

He watched her with a worried look as he helped the girl up. "Are you okay?"

"What's your problem!" the girl exclaimed. "No one even wanted it anyway," she complained, reaching for the fallen bottle.

Connie snatched it up before the girl could take it. "We... we've had a really b-bad day." She was eyeing the girl's thick winter coat, Steven noticed. He followed her gaze and noted that it was the same as Team Crystal's.

She rolled her eyes at Connie and plopped down on the ground. "You alright, T?"

" _Tangela!_ " the pokemon answered. It bounced over and curled up against her.

"Good." She patted it affectionately.

She didn't seem like a bad person. She was just a kid, after all, and she was in the same situation as them. "Maybe we c-can all share it?" he asked, looking back at Connie.

Connie frowned back at him, but after some time, she relented. She relinquished the bottle to Steven.

He sat down beside the girl and twisted off the cap. "Here," he offered. "Just leave some for us."

She accepted it gratefully. "You're not too bad, Little Man," she laughed before tipping it back.

Smiling back at her, he gestured to himself. "I'm Steven, and that's Connie and G-Garnet." He pointed to them in turn.

Connie waved politely, but she did not approach. Garnet pointedly turned her head away.

She stopped before she was halfway through the beverage, burped, and handed it back to him. "Amethyst. How'd you get here?" she asked, regarding them all with an unimpressed gaze.

He exchanged a look with Connie. "We, um, w-walked, mostly."

" _Walked?_ " She burst out laughing again. "Wow, that's dumb."

"Well, how did you get here?"

"Okay," she conceded. "I walked here, too. But like, only from that wacky tower. Before that, my ride was _much_ cooler."

"The metagross?" Connie guessed.

Amethyst sat up, raising a brow at the girl. "Were you spying on me?"

"No," she answered. "We were spying on T-t-team Crystal."

That struck Steven as a bit of an exaggeration, but he didn't argue. "So you're with them?"

"Not anymore," she scoffed. "I didn't really count as one of them anyway."

"W-why not?"

She shrugged. "Who cares?" Amethyst glanced past him. "...Geez, is she okay?"

He looked back toward Garnet. He had thought she would have recovered by now, but she was still breathing hard. Small beads of sweat dotted her forehead and her eyes were closed as she leaned back against the wall. "Garnet?"

Connie crawled over to her. "Hey?"

Garnet opened her eyes and looked down at her. "What?"

"Do you need anything?"

She shook her head.

"D-does your leg feel any better?"

Garnet did not respond.

"Let us see," Amethyst said enthusiastically. Tangela clung to her back as she crawled over.

Glaring at her, Garnet drew the leg back to her chest. "I'm fine."

"No seriously, let T see. She's great with this stuff."

"Why would she lie?" Steven urged. He didn't know what she could do, but he was willing to let her try.

Sighing, she unfolded her legs. She narrowed her eyes at the wall across from them, ignoring Amethyst and letting her do whatever she thought she could do.

T looked over Amethyst's shoulder as Amethyst widened the hole in the shins of Garnet's jeans; the older teen no longer cared about their condition, it seemed. With the rip and the blood, Steven guessed that they were beyond repair. Amethyst finished ripping through them, revealing a cut that was still oozing, despite being made hours ago. "Sick," she wrinkled her nose and snickered, pulling something out of her coat pocket. She wiped at the wound, earning a cringe from Garnet, and cleaned it out. "Okay, T, wrap her up!"

The pokemon rubbed a pair of vines together and flicked some fine yellow spores off them. Garnet clenched her jaws as it curled the vines around her shin, binding her wound. When it was thoroughly covered, T effortlessly snapped off the vines and tied them neatly in place. It was a few moments before Garnet relaxed, her pained expression melting away with a sigh.

"Little bit of stun spores really does the trick, huh?" Amethyst said smugly. "Maybe now you can quit being such a sadsack."

Garnet let out a small huff of acknowledgment in response to the statement, but it was no promise. She tensed suddenly, looking toward the doorway. Steven heard the soft flutter of feathers as sigilyph passed the opening to their cave.

"Don't sweat it," Amethyst said dismissively. "It's not leaving that hall."

"D-do you know a lot ab-bout the ruins?" Connie asked carefully. "Like how we could g-g-get to the city from here?"

Amethyst stretched her arms up, yawned, and leaned back. "You could say that."

"So once the snow stops, we can g-get to Lucrene," Steven said, hope shining in his eyes.

She made a finger gun motion at him and winked. "Sure thing."


	19. Chapter 19

Her breath caught in her throat as a sound shook her from her rest. Lapis had finally forced herself to sleep in this place, but it must have only been a few hours before the scratching at the door awakened her. Holding the sheets tightly in her hands, she listened, hoping that it was just another nightmare. Claws scraping against wood again proved that hope wrong. She put her hands over her ears, but she couldn't block it out. After so long waiting, she crept out of bed. The sound ceased as she made her way down the steps. Biting her lip, she reached for the doorknob. She half expected to find it locked. The warm brass turned smoothly in her hand.

She stumbled out of the way just in time to avoid Lion's burning mane as he slid inside. The pyroar only offered her a momentary sideglance. He bounded up the steps, his mane dimming to hardly a glow.

And there she was standing in front of the open door. Rose's roserade was still hidden in the garden's foliage, but if she ran she could probably... She could not finish the thought. Lion was back. Where was Steven? Turning quickly, she climbed the steps and looked through the rooms upstairs until she found the pokemon, curled among the blankets and toys in Steven's room and breathing out heavy sighs. She felt hollow. If Lion had failed, Steven was truly alone.

"Lapis Lazuli?!" a familiar voice called out.

A small ember of hope made itself known inside her. "Up here!"

Pearl was soon at her side. Her hand landed on Lapis's shoulder, sighing in relief that the woman was still there. "Why is..." she stopped when she saw Lion, understanding crossing her face. Lapis watched the range of expressions shift through her before she settled on heavy disappointment.

"Maybe he still has someone..." Lapis murmured.

"Who?" Pearl questioned, sounding breathless.

"My lapras, she..." She trailed off when she saw the pity in Pearl's eyes. Her voice caught in her throat. "What happened to her?"

Pearl looked away. "We picked her off the beach. We've been looking after her, taking care of her wounds... She's with us."

Lapis had hardly realized how much hope she had in Lapras until it was gone. She slid to the ground outside of Steven's room, her back against the opposite wall. It was all she could do not to lash out in frustration.

"You didn't run away," Pearl said. She was still standing in the doorway to Steven's room, her back to Lapis, and she sounded grateful.

Lapis shook her head, unbothered by the fact that Pearl could not see her do it.

She watched Pearl hang her head. The woman's hand gripped her arm and Lapis guessed that she was feeling as hopeless as Lapis was. "Please," she murmured. "I know you care about him. If you know anything from his past life that might help... You said he had friends."

Lapis clenched her fists. Pearl had to be desperate to have decided to believe in her. Even she knew her own memories were a long shot. "What... what will Rose do with me once she finds him?"

She heard Pearl swallow. "If you do this for us, I will make sure you get to see Steven. I promise you that much."

Lapis hesitated. She knew she was trapped: in her memories, in the consequences of her decisions, in this house... Maybe this was the best thing she could get. When she said them, the names rolled off her tongue like a curse "You, Amethyst, and Garnet were very close to him. His other friend, a girl named Connie... that's who he found in the city."

She saw how Pearl tensed, and she knew that the woman recognized at least some of the names. "Thank you, Lapis."

"Does that help?" she asked, voice quiet. Pearl's tone did little for her confidence.

"Those names are very familiar." She put a hand on her forehead and leaned against the doorframe tiredly. "Amethyst and Garnet recently went missing in Lucrenes' ruins. They're just children. Lion came on the helicopter from the same area."

"Then Steven could be-"

"Yes. He could be there. I will tell Rose."

* * *

The hospital equipment's programming was much more secure than the train's, and even sported a Medical Aid model porygon2. AAAQ44ILO904 wondered if someone had managed to hack into the system at some point, though; the pokemon's name was Dr. Peeper. AAAQ44ILO904 could only enter the electronics for .03 plus or minus .002 seconds before Dr. Peeper would eject it and change the encryption of the software. The only thing it had time to do was trigger a chime for assistance and summon a nurse to the station to turn it off. Officer Arafa could only sputter out an unconvincing apology to the nurses that responded as, stony-eyed, they asked why she had called them. After so many scoldings of its master, Watan had turned off its free communication. AAAQ44ILO904 stopped antagonizing. When the porygon-z was doing no more to indicate Jasper's condition, Buff Puff started howling and crying from outside the window. _Hopefully_ the hospital staff found that less disruptive.

AAAQ44ILO904 was unwilling to idle.

 _Opening Emerald Sequence run file..._

 _Outstandingly changed variable overview [last 24 hours]:_

 _x; value locked_

 _y; value locked_

 _z; value locked_

… _342 Trace others Expand? [yes/_ _ **no**_ _]_

 _Countdown Overview_

 _t: 14:07:53.01 (-11:05:44.02)_

 _σ_ _t_ _; 00:00:04.39 (-00:01:57.78)_

 _p: .01_

The porygon-z reloaded the file and checked the values again. With the three dimensional variables locked, deviation had been reduced dramatically, as well as the time left in the countdown. The fourth dimensional variable had been locked long ago. The countdown was 99% confident within minutes now. AAAQ44ILO904 attempted to pick apart the program out of malice, as if it had been the source of Jasper's injuries. However, the Emerald Sequence was one of the few files it could not alter. It pulled up the source of the file, and found that it was intimately intertwined with its most previous upgrade, and simply deleting the file would leave it a shell of itself. It could ignore the sequence, but that was the best it could do.

Unacceptable. It opened an email, prepared to send a message to its publisher, only to come to the realization that the publisher of its most recent upgrade was unknown. It retrieved the email from which it had received the upgrade file; it was a throwaway address, designed to resemble that of Sylph Co. After exhausting any options it could find in its own software to locate the sender, a brief internet search found a program for reading patterns in writing styles, codes, and any other character-based creation. It ran the program and compared it to any documents it could find at first. When the sample proved too broad, it narrowed its search to those skilled in programming simulations like the Emerald Sequence appeared to be.

 _Emerald Trapiche – 87% match_

The result was the highest by twenty percent and, while it was certainly no guarantee, AAAQ44ILO904 considered the person's name's resemblance to the program an indicator that this was the correct individual. The porygon-z attempted to ferret out an email address for the woman; it seemed that she had been well known, so it couldn't be that hard. However. Her email address had not been in use since the fourth of May nine years ago, soon after she had gone missing.

AAAQ44ILO904 shut down and restarted Jasper's tablet, hoping the forced quiet would soothe its frustration. It did not. Fine. Once the tablet rebooted, the pokemon opened the missing person's report, grateful for its access to police records.

 _Emerald Ciena Peter Trapiche_

 _Adult, Female; 5'6'' blond hair, green eyes_

 _Suspicious Circumstances_

 _Last Seen: 5/2/20XX, Obsidian City, East District_

 _Persons of Interest:_

 _Pearl Adams (Laboratory Technician)_

 _Rose Quartz (Last seen with)_

There were more names and more information, but the porygon-z paused there, taken aback. It had just been being spiteful to pass the time. It didn't expect to find anything relevant to Jasper's current interests. This woman disappeared a couple months after Steven did, it seemed. Looking through the file, AAAQ44ILO904's search was stalled; recordings of the interviews with Pearl Adams and Rose Quartz had never been digitized. It sent in a formal request for digital copies to be made on Jasper's behalf.

It was about to focus on gaining a better understanding of who Emerald Trapiche was when Watan reestablished communication.

 _Officer Pitafi status update: responsive._

AAAQ44ILO904 displayed the Emerald Sequence countdown on the screen of Jasper's tablet, just above the time, now convinced that it held some kind of importance:

 _14:06:20.12_

It turned its attention to Jasper, relying only on audio to assess her condition without leaving her tablet.

"J-Jasper," Peridot gasped, her voice rising as she spoke. "Don't try to get up. They said-"

Jasper groaned. "Where are we?"

"Lucrene City."

There was a pause. "When?"

"It's, um... about six-thirty, Saturday morning."

"The kids?"

"I... haven't been looking for them," Peridot stammered. "You-"

"It doesn't matter what happened to me," Jasper growled. "We have a mission." There was the quiet sound of sheets shifting and weight resettling.

"I-I know, but- Don't get up, please. Listen. I'll find them."

"You can't bring them in," Jasper responded.

The other officer's response came out hasty and loud. "Neither can you. You have a severe concussion, and if you get out there too soon, you could only make it worse. The doctors want you to stay here and recover, and you _need_ to stay here and recover. I'm not hurt too badly, they said. I-"

"Peridot," Jasper hissed, " _Shut up._ "

"I'm saying," she continued, now in a mindful murmur, "I could talk to them, find out what they know... It won't be hard to keep track of where they are going with them being on the contest route. Eventually, you can take them in, but until then, we'll at least have some information." The only response was a heavy sigh. Footsteps faded toward the door and Peridot's voice was quiet. "I'll get back to you soon."

* * *

The air in the caves was cold and stale enough to make Garnet's throat hurt. Her fists were tightly balled and shoved in the pockets of her jeans. For a while, she had been running her fingers along the wall, feeling the fossils in the cave's surface, but the remnants of ancient pokemon somehow managed to feel even colder than the stone itself. With her glasses breaking, her eyes were exposed to the air. Whether her leg was numb from the chill or still from the stun spores, she had grown tired of it. She tried her best to keep a regular gait, but she could not fight the fear that she was limping. The light that Amethyst's tangela exuded only worsened her discomfort. It reminded her that her phone was gone, lost in the temple at some point. Once in a while, Chip's pokeball shook at her waist but, like all of her other pokeballs, it was too damaged to open. That left only Pumpkaboo and Tangela to defend them should they run into trouble, and with this unpredictable stranger leading them, Garnet was tensing at every corner they came to.

Amethyst put her hands behind her head as she paused at a split in their path. "Looks different when it's not getting all wonky, huh, T?" she murmured. The pokemon ruffled its vines in agreement and started down the right path.

Connie glanced back at Garnet uncertainly, but there was nothing she could say in objection. Steven and Connie each had an arm in one sleeve of her jacket, and the other around each other's shoulders. She hoped they were warm enough.

"Amethyst?" Steven spoke up.

"What's up?" she responded, glancing back at him as she walked.

"You... you said you were sort of with Team Crystal. Did you know what they were doing?"

She turned toward him and walked backwards through the cave, letting out a puff of mild annoyance. "Dunno. Looking for some glowing rock?"

"Why?"

She jerked her arms up in a shrug. "I wasn't really listening most of the time."

His expression fell.

Garnet sighed. She wanted so badly to be done with Team Crystal. She wanted to settle somewhere, rest, and forget about them. However, they were the whole reason she was here. "Where can we find them?"

Amethyst's eyes widened slightly as she looked up at Garnet. It was the first time the older girl had talked in a while. "Why do you even want to find 'em?"

Garnet clenched her fist tighter in her pocket. _Don't be a pain about this._

"They took my friend," Steven answered before Garnet could say anything scalding. "We're just trying to find her."

"You're kidding."

"No, we're not," Connie put in, tolerating none of Amethyst's disbelief. "We need to find her."

Amethyst looked away, expression cross. "Their base is in this town called Beach City, but I don't know where anyone they kidnapped would be there."

"Do you have any ideas?" Garnet demanded.

" _Maybe_ ," Amethyst retorted. "I don't know exactly. I have an idea, I guess."

"Can you show us the way?" Steven asked hopefully.

"I dunno..." She returned his gaze with brows furrowed before turning to walk forward again, her arms raised in another shrug.

"Please?" Steven pleaded. "Anything you can help us with, even if it's just a little, it really makes a huge difference."

"...I guess."

Steven beamed and shook the bonds of Garnet's jacket to embrace her. "Thank you!"

Her eyes only widened for a moment before a toothy grin spread across her face. She ruffled his hair. "Sure thing, Ste-man."

Garnet's stomach let out a loud growl and she quickly looked away, embarrassed. The kids had finished off the smoothie before they had set out, and she had pretended not to be hungry. Her stomach was past the point of aching for food; it just felt empty, but apparently it wasn't past the point of growling. She was grateful when Amethyst stole everyone's attention.

"I'm starving," she laughed, patting her belly as Steven walked at her side. Licking her lips, she looked over to Connie. "You still have that egg?"

Pumpkaboo was the first to react. She moved as quickly as her little legs could carry her, absolutely furious at the idea, and let out a shrill cry. " _Umpka!"_

Amethyst put out a hand to push away the pumpkin pokemon, snickering. "Relax, it was a joke."

Steven pet Pumpkaboo's head. "We wouldn't do that!"

Her face was still scrunched up in exasperation as she regarded the humans. _"Kaboo."_

"I promise."

"I'm keeping it safe," Connie added, patting the egg where it was warm in her shirt.

This seemed to satisfy Pumpkaboo, though she still kept a serious face as she waddled along beside them.

…

Teeth clenched together to keep from chattering, Garnet followed Amethyst toward the exit of the cave. Her tangela's flash faded, leaving the darkness of the cave behind them; the mouth gaped open to a wall of white light and snowflakes. As the wind whipped into the cave, the kids clung to Garnet's waist and hid their faces from the cold.

"It shouldn't be far, now," Amethyst murmured, tightening the drawstrings on her hood. She hesitated at the mouth of the cave; the snow was up to her chest where it fell over into the cave, and the wind was blowing against them. Besides the fact that they could hardly see, the deep snow itself seemed impassable on foot.

"We-we'll freeze before we g-get anywhere!" Connie gasped.

"Well this is the only way back," Amethyst insisted.

"C-come on guys!" Steven let go of Garnet and scampered to Amethyst's side. Lifting his arms, he declared. "I know it's snow small matter, but we can't give up now! If Amethyst says it's just a little farther, we can do it!"

Connie opened her mouth, but before she could say much of anything, she was interrupted by a sound between a quack and a squawk. A red and white bird pokemon hopped through the mouth of the cave and landed in front of Steven.

Garnet put up her fists in a defensive posture, and Pumpkaboo rumbled at her side. Connie's grip on the older girl tightened, and Amethyst, Steven, and Tangela stared at the little pokemon wide-eyed.

" _Deli!"_ it greeted, waving its flipper-like wing.

Connie relaxed slightly. "It's a delibird. They're supposed to be nice."

Garnet hesitantly dropped her fighting stance, but she watched the pokemon carefully as it reached into its bag-like tail. It held out a large black thermos with a small piece of paper tied around it.

"What's that?" Steven murmured. He reached for the object before anyone else had the chance.

As soon as it was in his hands, the pokemon produced several blankets and pairs of gloved. At this point, Connie and Garnet were grateful to take them. With an affirmative squawk, the pokemon turned and bounced back over the snow and out of sight.

Amethyst took the thermos as everyone else pulled on some gloves and wrapped themselves in blankets. "Sweet! Soup!" Amethyst began pouring out a serving into the lid of the thermos, but she only took a quick sip before handing it off to Connie, who in turn handed it to Garnet.

Garnet hesitated for a moment, but the aroma was making her mouth water. She tipped it back gratefully. "Thanks," she responded, passing it back for Amethyst to dole out the contents. They took turns sipping the warm broth.

"What's the note say?" Steven inquired, rubbing his hands together in the gloves. She plucked the note off of the thermos and handed it to him. They huddled in the cave as he read:

" _If you have received this, then help is on the way. Please stay where you are or in the nearest safe location until you are found.- Gym leader Fryman"_

Steven, Connie, and Amethyst did not stop talking the entire trip back. The group sat huddled on an avalugg's back and it lumbered toward the city. When Garnet could see buildings, she shared their excitement. All she could think about was sleeping in a nice, warm Pokemon Center. As they entered town, a small entourage met them with heated blankets and handwarmers. Garnet let the friendly strangers usher them into a heated cabin. A large stone firepit sat in the center with hardwood benches all around it. The building looked to have no other purpose than warming people up. Huddling near the fire, the kids were more than happy to receive hot chocolate and sandwiches.

She thought she might doze off after drinking her own cup. She wished she could have, but as she leaned her head back against the wood she was bombarded by questions: _"Your names? Were there any more individuals in your group? What was your departure point and destination? Is there anyone waiting for you?"_ Garnet explained that they had come in on the train, and gotten lost when it derailed. She skimmed over their reasons for leaving the train, the strange terrain they had traversed, and Team Crystal. They only gained any quiet after all of the questions had been answered, Garnet's wounds were redressed, and feeling returned to everyone's fingers and toes. When they were finally left alone she relaxed and close her eyes.

She wasn't sure if she actually slept; the sound of the door opening and the momentary cool draft made had her alert again. She looked up to see a man approaching.

"Don't worry," he murmured. "I'm the gym leader. I just wanted to check and see how you were doing."

Garnet sighed and glanced down at the kids; they were lying in a pile of blankets, half on top of each other, against her side. Amethyst was sprawled across the bench on the other side of the firepit, snoring loudly. "We're okay," Garnet answered.

He sat down on the bench beside her, his distance respectful. She straightened up some, sensing that he was regarding her as the adult of their group. She did not want to be the adult anymore. It hurt to admit, but just watching this man approach so officially, her throat tightened up and she knew it was true.

"After some... very strange weather conditions last night," he began, "many people were lost in the storm. Now, you, Steven, and Connie were the last ones to be found. There was not an Amethyst on the list. We're just worried there might be more people missing than we thought. Was she with you to begin with or part of another group?"

She looked over at the sleeping girl, unsure how to answer. Amethyst had said she had been with Team Crystal, and Team Crystal had left her behind. _Whether she was with us before or not, she's with us now._ "She... is with us," she responded. Her voice didn't come out as confident as she would have liked.

"There's no one else who could have been left behind, then?"

She shook her head. Working to make her voice steady, she said "It's just us."

"Alright." He sighed. "When you're ready, all of your things are at the train station. Just ask the desk clerk at the information booth and show your ID. I know you came with the other contestants, but considering this unusual situation, the contest in Lucrene is postponed."

She looked away as she nodded in understanding. It was a relief, really. Steven and the others needed their rest.

"Is there anything else you need?"

Garnet silently took out one of her pokeballs and held it out, showing the crack along its side.

He gently took it and examined it. "They can let your pokemon out and replace the pokeball at the pokemon center. If you want me to take them for you..."

"No." Belatedly, she added "Thank you. We can go on our own."

He nodded. "If that's all, then I'll leave you to rest."

She listened to him rise and his footsteps fade, her eyes drifting closed again.


	20. Chapter 20

Connie had almost forgotten how great it felt to be warm before she had fallen asleep, but as she woke up, she felt uncomfortably hot. Taking a deep breath, she straightened up from where she had been leaning on Steven's shoulder. She went to push the blankets off of herself, but found her arms occupied. It took her a moment to work the sleepiness out of her mind, and another moment of looking around the room and finding Pumpkaboo staring at her to remember that she still had the pokemon's egg. The pokemon's expression looked particularly ghastly in the light of the fireplace. "Don't worry, you can have it back, now." She shifted it into one arm and peeled the blanket back.

The pokemon in her arms was curled up so tightly, she didn't process that it was no longer an egg until it lifted its head, blinked at her, and yawned. She stared at it, and it stared at her. Then it tucked its face into its chest, as best as it could with its tusks in the way, and closed its eyes again. The egg had hatched, but it wasn't a baby pumpkaboo.

"Look!" she exclaimed. Steven startled awake beside her and Pumpkaboo waddled closer. Cradling the pokemon, she held it out.

Being shifted earned an upset _"A-xew!"_ from the pokemon, and it tried to roll back toward Connie. It only managed to squirm in her arms.

Pumpkaboo stared at it, her eyes narrowed.

"What's that?" Steven gasped, rubbing his eyes. "It's cute."

"It's an axew!" Connie announced. "It hatched from Pumpkaboo's egg!"

Fluttering her faux wings, Pumpkaboo let out an angry rumble at the baby pokemon. The axew's eyes went wide with distress, and in its struggle to get away, it nearly fell out of Connie's arms. She quickly drew it back to her chest before it could fall on the ground.

"Don't be mean!" Steven chided. "That's your baby! You're a mom!"

" _Kaboo!"_ Pumpkaboo, retorted, flicking a leaf at him. Grumbling to herself, she waddled away from them and glared at them ominously from the other side of the fire.

"I don't think that Pumpkaboo wanted to be a mom," Garnet put in from where she was still laying down.

Connie looked down at the little axew clinging to her and exchanged a glance with Steven.

His gaze shot over to Pumpkaboo. "Don't tell me you only wanted an egg because it was round!" She didn't respond, but he put his hand to his face and sighed. His gaze returned to axew. "I... I guess that your its mom, now..."

She didn't think she could get the pokemon to let go of her, even if she had wanted it to. "Yeah..."

"What are you going to name it?" Steven asked eagerly.

"I don't know." She had not expected to be getting another pokemon; she had figured that when Pumpkaboo's egg hatched, the pokemon inside would be Steven's. She patted its head gently. "I'll have to think of something."

Garnet pulled off one of her gloves as she sat up. "It's time to go, anyway." She tossed it over the fire and across the room, hitting Amethyst square in the face.

Amethyst's snoring faltered. Just when Connie thought it might pick up again, the older girl grumbled. "What gives?"

"It's time to go," Garnet repeated, rising to her feet and stretching.

"Just five more minutes," Amethyst insisted.

Garnet nudged Steven to get moving. He and Connie rose and began gathering the few possessions they had with them as she made her way over to Amethyst and gave her a firm shake.

"I'm up! I'm up!" Amethyst gasped. She rolled off the bench and onto her feet. "See? Ready to go. Come on, T..." Her tangela, with scarves interwoven through its vines now, scampered after her. The two waited by the door. "Where are we going?"

"The train station," Garnet said, picking up her glove and pulling it back on. "Then the pokemon center."

"Do they have Munchy and Little Bud there?" Steven asked hopefully.

Garnet nodded. "We'll pick them up and get all of our stuff back."

* * *

Peridot rocked on her feet, her hands folded behind her back. This all felt suspiciously easy; the kids weren't missing anymore, or rather, not lost in the mountains; whether their situation could be called 'missing' or not was a question that had yet to be answered. All she had to do was wait for them to pick up their things from the train station. It probably would have been even easier if she had went to the recovery cabin that the gym leader had pointed out to her, but that seemed intrusive. She wanted them to trust her, after all. She was supposed to be there to _help._

Her eyes scanned the area. It was nearly empty. A young man was milling around with a pair of grass types, waiting for someone as well, but there would be no trains coming until they figured out exactly what had happened or at least what to say had happened. She was glad that coming up with those answers wasn't _her_ job.

A soft ping urged her to tug her tablet out of her pouch. Watan greeted her from the other side of her cracked screen.

2 messages.

Message 1: Timestamp 3:07 PM, Sender: Jasper Pitafi, Squadron 3, Type: voicemail, Display: text: "Did you mess with my tablet? It's counting down now. Is there something I should know about?"

Message 2: Timestamp 3:09 PM, Sender: Jasper Pitafi, Squadron 3, Type: file attachment: timerpro_run_file

Peridot made sure she did not download the file and called Jasper back.

" _What is it?_ " Jasper answered, her disgruntled face coming up on the screen.

"I don't know. Your buggy porygon might have triggered something."

" _Hmph._ " She looked away.

"Are you feeling any better?"

" _I'm fine. You weren't messing with it at all?_ "

"No... Watan turned off its free communication mode, so maybe that has something to do with it," she noted as a small notification popped up conveniently regarding the feature. "I'll turn it back on soon."

" _Good._ " She sounded definitive as if she knew that this would fix everything. " _Did you find them yet?_ "

The question reminded Peridot to glance up and scan her surroundings again. "Not yet. I'm waiting for them at the train station. They have to pick up their things, so they'll definitely be here."

Jasper nodded. " _I'll be out of here soon. I'm getting emails from the station. Haven't read them yet, but I'm guessing we need to wrap this up._ "

"Right. I'll try to do things quick."

" _Make sure you know where they're going._ "

"Of course." She looked up in time to see the kids wandering in. Steven was holding the hand of the older girl who Jasper must have been talking about, and Connie was holding something wrapped in a blanket. Another girl with long, bushy hair was trailing behind them, and a Pumpkaboo and Tangela had joined their ranks. Upon recognizing the Team Crystal emblem on the long-haired girl's coat, Peridot felt a slight panic rise up in her chest. _What kind of scheme is going on here?_

"... _Are you listening?_ " Jasper put in. Peridot hadn't realized she had been talking.

"They- they just got here," Peridot whispered. "There's more of them than before. I'll call you back soon." She didn't take her eyes off the group as she tapped her screen. Trusting that Watan would end the call for her, she tucked her tablet away.

Steven broke away from the group and ran toward the two grass types. He threw his arms around the skiddo's neck, hugging it tightly. The roselia bounced up and down on the skiddo's back, demanding attention. Peridot tried to draw closer without looking suspicious, peeking out from behind a post. Hopefully they wouldn't recognize her in her winter gear. Their attention was on the pokemon and the young man, anyway.

"When you didn't come, I made sure to check that your pokemon were okay," he explained.

"Thanks, Jamie," Steven said, his face still buried in the skiddo's leafy fluff. He hugged the roselia next.

"I hope they weren't any trouble," Connie said.

"Oh, no, nothing I couldn't handle." He smiled broadly. "Are you all okay? What happened?"

"We're okay," Connie answered. "It's kind of a long story."

"Oh! But we made some new friends!" Steven said. The roselia in one arm, he gestured to the long-haired girl. "This is Amethyst and her tangela!"

"Yo," she greeted. She offered a nonchalant wave in lieu of a handshake.

"Amethyst, this is Jamie. He's an actor!"

"It's an honor to meet you," Jamie greeted.

Peridot crept closer. It was time to act natural. She just had to enter the conversation. "Hello, citizens," she said, putting on a smile and stepping out of her hiding spot.

All eyes flung to her, and Steven and Connie let out little cries of recognition. They ducked behind the oldest girl in their group, and the young woman put up her fists like she was ready to fight.

"Wait, wait!" Peridot exclaimed. "Please, I just want to talk!"

"We don't talk to cops," Amethyst declared.

Jamie could read the crowd well enough, so even he was wary. "What is...?"

"I'm not going to try to take you back," she went on. "Do you really think _I_ stand a chance against _all of you?"_

She watched them exchange looks.

"What d'you want?" Amethyst growled finally.

The tangela at her side echoed her tone. _"Tanga!"_

"I... I just want to ask a few questions," she said, her hands raised to show she had nothing up her sleeve.

"Is this about them being lost?" Jamie put in nervously.

"...Sort of," Peridot answered, trying to put on a smile and hoping it wasn't a grimace. "You can go if you want... I mean, you don't know anything, right?"

"No?" He glanced at the others who, though alert, were relaxing some.

"Go," the oldest girl said. "We're fine."

"We'll catch up with you soon," Steven said. That seemed to be enough encouragement for Jamie to leave them.

Once he was gone, the oldest girl led them to some benches to sit down. Amethyst sat across from her with one of the kids at each side, and the older girl stood between the benches. It seemed like a strictly polite choice until she realized that she could see all the exits from the location. They all looked at her expectantly.

"Er... My name is Officer Arafa. You can call me Peridot." She tried to smile again. They stared back at her. "I... met Steven and Connie in Seesea City," she explained. "And Steven said that Pearl- she's the woman from Team Crystal- took someone you cared about." She tried to read their expressions. She didn't want to interrupt them if they decided to start talking on their own. Amethyst was glaring at her. The kids both looked conflicted. She didn't dare to glance up at the older girl.

"... Are you going to help us find Lapis?" Steven finally murmured.

"Yes! Yes, exactly." Her smile was sincere now. They could work together!

"We don't need your help," Amethyst spat out the words.

Peridot tried to counter: "But- but any help is good. We can help each other."

"She's right. Let's just give her a chance," Steven said, holding his roselia tightly.

Amethyst crossed her arms.

"I'm trying to find out what Team Crystal is doing," she explained. "My partner thinks you... you might know someone high up in their group- but that isn't to say you're a criminal." She could see them getting distinctly uncomfortable. Amethyst was wearing a steady glare. Connie and Steven kept glancing up at the oldest girl uncertainly. When Peridot did the same, she saw that her hands were balls into tight fists. The bits of her expression that could be seen through her broken sunglasses made Peridot feel like she might be trying to will the officer into spontaneous combustion. Gulping, she went on. "Is that true?"

"Nah," Amethyst put her arms behind her head and leaned back.

"You don't?"

"What part of 'nah' don't you get?"

"What about that jacket?"

"Uh, we were lost in the mountains." Her tone rang with a condescension that said that this was a full explanation, but when Peridot didn't understand, she added just as facetiously "I found it on a dead guy."

"This isn't a joke," she insisted. "Steven, Connie," she turned to the only members of their group who looked even vaguely willing to cooperate. "Look at these- do you know who these people are?" She pulled out her tablet and opened an image album. Extending it toward them, she let them scroll through.

Rose... Pearl... Alexandrite... Opal... Sugilite... and the names became less well-known as they went on.

As she expected, Steven pointed out Pearl. After that, she could only guess what they knew by where the kids hesitated: Alexandrite, and Opal. As they got to the lower-downs and the 'maybes' they paused at a couple she would not have guessed. She made a mental note of their faces and names so she could look into them: Ruby and Sapphire Dmitriou-Thein. They filmed documentaries, she thought, and were really only on the list because the films bordered on 'propaganda.' It always seemed like a stretch.

Voice small, Steven interrupted her thoughts. "What do you think they're doing to Lapis?"

His question caught her off-guard, but she didn't know why. If someone close to her had been taken, she would have asked it, too. "I... don't know," she admitted. "Team Crystal usually just take pokemon but... er." She searched for an answer. "I'm sure she's... fine. They probably wouldn't kill her or anything like that."

As soon as his eyes went wide, she knew she had said the wrong thing. He started to tear up and handed her tablet back to her.

"Hey, she said they probably _wouldn't!_ " Amethyst put in, putting an arm around his shoulder. "And take it from me: they won't!"

He sniffled, nodded and rubbed his nose on his sleeve.

Peridot breathed a sigh of relief, but she knew she had lost points with these people. They wouldn't tolerate her much longer. "Steven," she asked hastily. "Do you know why they might have taken Lapis?"

He shook his head.

"Did they say anything when they did?"

"I don't know. I just... saw what was on the TV."

"Well, what does Lapis _do?_ " She huffed.

"She just took care of me," Steven admitted, his shoulders sagging. "I don't know."

He still hadn't mentioned parents, and if Lapis was taking care of him, Jasper's theory seemed to hold water. She wasn't sure how to breach the topic, or what to do with the information, for that matter. Trying to return him to his parents when they were criminals was certainly not the goal, but these kids couldn't be held accountable for taking him; even the oldest girl was clearly not old enough to be the one who kidnapped him. If it was Lapis, then how could they convince him that she was not the person who needed saving? Jasper might know, but she wasn't here. "I guess you know as mush as we do."

He looked up at her helplessly.

"But, listen." The oldest girl was moving to gather the kids. Peridot had to act fast. "Do you have a phone? You can call me if you need more help!" The idea was a clever one, she thought, but she was stopped there.

"No," the oldest girl interrupted.

"But Garnet-" Steven started.

Garnet took his hand. "It's time to go."

Amethyst hopped out of her seat. "You heard her. Let's roll."

Connie followed. The older girls herded the kids and their pokemon away.

"Hey!" Peridot jumped to her feet. "Wait! I-" She froze as Garnet fixed her with a look she could only read as murderous. Her grip tightened on her tablet, but it quickly loosened when she felt a tickling sensation along her arm. She hoped it wasn't pieces falling out of her screen. When the group was gone, she bit her lip and looked down at the screen. "Watan, call Jasper."

* * *

"Why did you do that?" Steven demanded, pulling his arm out of Garnet's grip.

She looked back. The officer hadn't followed them out. "We don't need her help."

"We have me," Amethyst agreed.

She gave a terse nod, grateful that they were on the same page.

"Considering... everything," Connie murmured, "I don't think we should- or can tell the police everything they want to know, Steven."

"I know, but... she just wanted to help. There has to be a reason Grandma Sapphire was working with them. Maybe she like a spy, or-"

"Steven, stop." Garnet cut him off. She didn't want to hear it. She could imagine the hurt expression on his face, so she didn't look down at him as she took his hand again.

"Let's just get to the Pokemon Center," Connie sighed, peeking under the blanket at the axew in her arms. "I want to check on my other pokemon."

She led them to the building, and they waited outside with their pokemon as their pokeballs were fixed. Garnet's pokemon were a bit too large to fit comfortably inside the glass building. The kids quietly watched their breath cloud in the cold, and Garnet watched news scroll across the electronic banner in the window. What they had experienced was being referred to strictly as Strange Weather. "The contest is tomorrow," she read off.

"I... guess I'll have to work on my routine," Steven murmured.

"What are you talking about?" Amethyst asked. "You do contests?"

"Yeah. They're fun," Steven said. His voice picked up a little.

"And as long as Steven does well, we don't have to pay for the train, or breakfast or dinner," Connie put in.

"Sounds like a nice deal."

"But um... I don't know if you're covered. We could call and ask them. Garnet?"

She glanced down at Connie. The number was on her phone, and her phone was gone. Maybe she could look things up at the contest hall. If not, they would just have to figure something out. She shrugged.

"Well... hopefully the contest route will bring us close to where we need to be," Connie said.

"It's across the water," Amethyst said.

"Well... next we're going to Obsidian City, but then we're taking the ferry, and the next contest is in Bluster City."

"Cool," Amethyst nodded. "We're on the right path, then."

* * *

loafingdragon here!

I have to apologize for the long absence a few weeks back. Hopefully we'll be back on track for the summer, posting once a week or possibly once every other week. Thank you for your patience!


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